
Glass. 
Book 




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• 'Attn Af.t tt/tt /v*.'X/»//.' <■///«/ i nt/i it I ft it>f*n/'»*"' 



o 



THE IIISTOIU 



REDDING, CONK, 



FUOM IT:» 

FIRST SETTLEMENT TO THE PUESEiXT TIME. 

WITH NOTKS ON 

TIIK Al>.\!t)<. I-.ANKS, IIAKIOW, I'.AKTI KTT, IJA KTHA M. ISATI^S. r.KA(II. liKNEDK T. 

ItKTTS, IUKI:. l'.ll:l:lTT, r.l KTON, < lIATFlKr.n, (orcll, DAUI.INti, KAIIiCIIII.D, 

VOSinil. tiOl.l), liOKIIAM, (illAV, (iKlKKlN, IIAl.l.. IIAWl.KY, llll.l., IIEIiON, 

liri.l.. .lAIKSON, I.KK, I.YIIN, I.OI!I». MAI.I.OKV, SIKADK, WKKKKK, 

MKKriiAST. .Mi)i:i:ii(>r.-i:, i-kkkv, pi.att, kkad, i:o<;ki;-, 

KTMSKV, SANrillSI), !*)|1TII, AM) STOW FAMU.II:-!. 



ClIARLKS lU Rll T(.)I)I), 

AITIKIU Oh- "A lll>TOl:V UK TIIK lUllK KA>II1.-*. 



" Ni'.w YoHK : 
TIIK JOHN A. <;KAY IMilvSS AM) SIKAM TYI'K SKTTINc; OKKICK 

I'OUNKK OK I-'KANI^KiiKT AMI .JaCOII StISKETS. 

1««0. 



T/04 



iA^'iCjuT\j 



CONTENTS. 



CHAP. 



PAGE 



I. PRELIMrNARY SETTLEMEN^T 1 

II. Redding as a Parisii 33 

HI. TowK History 32 

IV. IIevolutioxary History and Iivtcidents 47 

V. Congregational Church 75 

VI. Christ Church 90 

VIL Methodist Episcopal Church 113 

VIII. Baptist Church in Georgetown 129 

IX. Methodist Protestant Church 133 

X. History of Schools 137 

XL Manufacturers 143 

XII. Miscellaneous 149 

XIII. Redding in the Civil War 159 

XIV. The Early Families of Redding 173 

XV. Biographical 2^33 



..(f 



PHYSICAL HISTORY. 



"Reading, GO miles south-west of Hartford, about 
5 miles long by GA- Avide, with an area of 32 square miles. The 
Saugatuck Eiver crosses it through the middle, north and 
south ; and the Norwalk Eiver is in the Avest part. The 
forest trees are oak, nut trees, etc. Population in 1830. 
ICj^Q.^'—Unifed States Gazetteer, 183-3. 

'' Like man3^of the New England villages, it is scattered, 
and beautifully shaded with elms, maj^les, and s}'ca- 
mores." — Lossing, Field-Booh of the Revolution. 

'' The geological character of the town, as throughout 
Western Connecticut is metamorphic. Granitic and por- 
phyritic rocks, and especially micaceous schists, predom- 
inate. The minerals are such as are familiar in such 
rocks — hornblende, garnet, kyanite,,tremolite, etc. In the 
western part of the town are deposits of magnesian lime- 
stone (or dolomite), much of which is quite pui-o, 
though some of it contains tremolite and other impurities. 
The other mineral features of the town are not specially 
notewortliy, or of general interest. The soil is probably, 
in the main, the result of the disintegration of the under- 
Iving rocks." — Xotes of Rev. John Diclcinson. 



^sn 
"W^ 



PREFACE. 



An interest is attached to the place of one's birth which 
change of scene rather enhances than removes, and which 
increases rather than diminishes in intensity as one ap- 
proaches the later stages of life : this home feeling has 
been largely instrumental in the production of this work, 
and to it is due nearly everything of interest or value that 
the book possesses. 

A history of Eeddinghas been long contemplated by the 
author as a service due his native town, and as long shrunk 
from because of the labor, the expense, and the difficulty 
of its compilation. Whether well or illy done, it is now 
completed, and goes out to the somewhat limited public for 
whom it was written. 

The materials for the Avork have been drawn largely from 
the ancient records of the town and parish, from the rec- 
ords of the colony, and from the files of musty pajoers in 
the State Library at Hartford. Tradition and oral infor- 
mation have not been neglected, and every reasonable 
effort has been made to render the work as far as possible 
a thorough and reliable history of the town. Tbat errors 
and discrepancies will be found, is to be expected ; but it is 
not believed that they are sufficiently numerous or imjjor- 
tant to destroy its historical value. In the preparation of 
the book the compiler has aimed to preserve tbe character 
of a local historian, and has confined himself chiefly to the 



iv PREFACE. 

narration of local facts and incidents. In harmony witJi 
this principle, an extended biography of Joel Barlow, at 
first intended for this work, has been excluded. The 
sketch of the poet so grew on the author's hands, that it 
Avas found it would make a volume by itself, and con- 
tained so much of general interest and detail that it could 
not be made to harmonize with the local character of this 
Avork. A concise sketch of the poet's life, howcA'er, and 
the original portrait from Fulton's oil-painting, that 
formed the frontispiece of the Columbiad, arc included in 
its pages. 

The compiler has not aimed at making a large book : 
many facts in fcAv words is wliat a busy age demands of 
the historian, and in deference to this demand only such 
matter as was of real value and interest has been admitted. 
The church histories and the genealogical notes are, jier- 
haps, the most important, if not the most interesting, por- 
tions of the work. It would have added to the value of 
the ecclesiastical history, no doubt, if it had been prepared 
l)y the pastors of the different churches represented ; but, 
Avitli one exception, these had so recently assumed the 
care of their charges, that they did not feel at liberty to 
undertake it, and the task fell to the lot of the compiler. 
If this department is not what it might have licen, the 
cause may be found in the disadvantages which a layman 
must labor under iu attempting to write ecclesiastical 
history. The Rev. Mr. Welton, rector of Christ Church, ' 
very kindly consented to prepare the history of tiiat church. 
and his paper Avill be read with interest by our citizens. 

In preparing the notes on the early families of the 
town, it was the writer's intention at first to make them 
much more complete and extensive. But the little in- 
terest in the matter manifested by the families concerned,- 
and the great labor and expense involved in comijiling 
any thing like a complete history of the thirty or forty 



PREFACE V 

families niciitionccl, led liim to abridge the work, and to 
give the matter in the form of notes taken chiefly from 
the town and parish records. The fact that the record of 
some families is given more fnlly than that of others, is 
not owing to any partiality on the author's part, hut to 
the fact that these families interested themselves enough 
in the matter to furnish the data called for. 

By reference to the title-page it will be seen that the 
modern method of spelling the name of the town — Redding 
— is adopted rather than the ancient — Eeading. Legally, 
no such town as Heading exists in Connecticut, since, both 
in the act of incorporation and on the probate seal, the 
name is spelled Redding ; and inquiry elicits the fact 
that the majority of the citizens prefer the latter method 
of spelling. It is the opinion of the writer, however, that 
the original name of the town was Reading, and that if 
historical precedents arc to be followed it should be so 
named now. In all old documents among the State ar- 
chives, and in the ancient ]-ecords of Fairfield (where the 
name first occurs), the orthography is Reading. In the 
town and society records it is spelled either Redding or 
Reding, rarely Reading. Rev. Moses Hill, a gentleman 
Avell versed in the antiquities of the town, informs me that 
at the time of its incorporation, in 1767, a meeting was 
held, at which it was voted that the name of the new town 
should be Redding ; and the fact that in the original bill 
incorporating it the name Reading has been crossed out 
and that of Redding substituted, would seem to point to 
some such action on the part of the town. I find no 
entry of any such action, however, in the town records. 

The books consulted in the preparation of the volume 
have been Barber's " Historical Collections of Connecti- 
cut," Ilollister's '' History of Connecticut," De For- 
rest's " Indians of Connecticut," Teller's "History of 
Ridgefield," the Congregational Year-Book, and Stevens' 



vi PREFACE. 

"' History of Methodism." The author's thanks are dne 
Mr. Lemuel Sanford, our efficient town-clerk, for ready 
access to the town records, and for many valuable hints 
and suggestions ; also to Messrs, Thomas Sanford, William 
E. Duncomb, Daniel Sanford, David S. Bartram, James 
Sanford, and David H. Miller, for eflficient aid in the prep- 
aration of the work. He is also indebted to Eev. Moses 
Hill, of JSTorwalk, for data of the Hill and Barlow families ; 
and to Mr. A. B. Hull, of Danbury, for many papers and 
documents relating to the history of the town. 

C. B. T. 
Redding, March 1, 1880. 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 

CHAPTER I. 

PRELIMTXAKY SETTLEMENT. 

The history of the early settlement of Recldmg 
differs radically from that of any of the neighboring- 
towns. A new settlement was generally formed by 
a company of men, who pnrchased of the Indians a 
tract of land in the wilderness, had it secured to 
them by a charter from the General Assembly, and 
also surveyed and regularly laid out, and then 
removed to it with their wives and families. Dan- 
bury, Newtown, and Ridgefield were settled in this 
manner ; but Redding at the time of its first settle- 
ment was a part of the town of Fairfield, and so 
continued for nearly forty years — a fact which 
makes it much more difficult to collect the frag- 
ments of its early history and to accurately define its 
original metes and bounds. Fairfield formerly ex- 
tended to the cross highway leading from the Centre 
to Redding Ridge, and the entire southerly portion 
of Redding was given by that town on the erection 
of the former into a parish in 1729. This portion of 
Redding was probably surveyed as early as 1640, 
being included in the purchase made by the proprie- 
tors of Fairfield in 1639. Between Fairfield north 
2 



2 in STOUT OF REDDING. 

bounds and the towns of Ridgelield, Dan1)ury, and 
Newtown was an oblong tract of unoccupied land, 
whose bounds were about the same as those that 
now exist between Redding and the towns above 
named : this tract was variously called, in the early 
records, the "oblong," the "peculiar," and the 
" com on lands." It was claimed by a petty tribe 
of Indians, wliose f ortilied village Avas on the high 
ridge a short distance south-west of the present resi- 
dence of Mr. John Read. This tribe consisted of 
disaffected members of the Potatucks of Newtown, 
and the Pau^ussetts of Milford, with a few stragglers 
from the Mohawks on the west. 

Their chief was Chickens Warrups, or Sam Mo- 
hawk, as he was sometimes called. President Stiles 
says in his " Itinerary" that he was a MohaAvk 
sagamore, or under-chief, who fled from his tjibe 
and settled flrst at Greenfleld Hill, but having killed 
an Indian there he was again obliged to flee, and 
then settled in Redding. All the Indian deeds to 
the early settlers were given by Chickens, and 
Naseco, who seems to have been a sort of sub -chief. 
The chief, Chickens, flgures quite prominently in 
the early history of Redding ; he seems to have been 
a strange mixture of Indian shrewdness, rascalit3', 
and cunning, and was in continual difficulty with 
the settlers concerning the deeds which he gave 
them. In 1720 he was suspected by the colonists 
of an attempt to bring the Mohawks and other 
western tribes down \\\)0i\ them, as is proved by the 
following curious extract from the records of a 
meeting of Wiq governor and council held at New 
Haven, September 15th, 1720 : 



HISTORY OF BEDDING. 3 

" It having been represented to tliis board tliat an 
Indian living near Danbury, called Chickens, has 
lately received two belts of wampnnipeag from cer- 
tain remote Indians — as it is said, to the Avest of 
Hudson River — with a message expressing their de- 
sire to come and live in this colony, which said mes- 
senger is to be conducted by aforesaid Chickens t() 
the Indians at Potatnck, and Wiantenuck, and Po- 
quannuck, in order to obtain their consent for their 
coming and inhabiting among them ; and that here- 
upon our frontier towns are under considerable ap- 
prehensions of danger from Indians, fearing that the 
belts have been sent on some bad design : 

" It is Mesoli'ed, That Captain John Sherman, of 
Woodbiir}^, and Major John Burr, of Fairfield, tak- 
ing with them Thomas Minor, of Woodbury, or such 
other interpreter as they shall judge meet, do rei)air 
immediately to said Indians at Potatnck and AVian- 
tenuck, and cause the said Chickens, to whom the 
belts and messengers were sent, to attend them, and 
to make the best inquiry they can into the truth of 
said story, and what may l)e the danger of said mes- 
sage, and as they shall see cause, take projoer order 
that the said Indian with the belts, and the 2irincix)al 
or chief of the Potatnck and Wiantenuck Indians, 
attend the General Court at its next session, to re- 
ceive such orders as may be useful to direct them in 
their behavior in relation thereunto ; and that Major 
Burr return home by way of Danbury, that the in- 
habitants there and in those western i:»arts may be 
quieted as to theii' apprehensions of danger from the 
Indians, if upon inquiry they find there is no just 
ground for them."' 

The first deed or grant of land in the '• oblong"' 
within my knowledge was given to Mr. Cyprian 
Nichols in 1687. This grant, in Secretary Wylly's 
handwriting, reads as follows : 



4 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

'''At a General Court held at Hartford, October 18, 

1687. 

" This Court grants Mr. Cyprian Nichols two 
hundred acres of land where he can lind it, provided 
he take it up wliere it may not prejudice any former 
grant to any particular person or plantation ; and 
the surveyors of the next plantation are hereby ap- 
pointed to lay out the same, he paying for it. 

' ' Caleb Staistle y. ' ' 

Captain Nichols ' ' took np' ' his grant in that part 
of the " oblong" which is now Lonetown, as is 
shown by the following document : 

" March 1, a.d. 1711. 
'' Then laid out ye Grant of two hundred acres of 
land granted by ye General Court to Capt. Cyp- 
rian Nichols, Oct. 13, 1G87, as follows, viz., be- 
ginning at a great Chestnut tree marked on ye 
south and west side, and J. R. set upon it, standing 
at ye south end of Woolf Ridge, a little below Dan- 
l)ury ]>ounds, thence running west one hundred rods 
to a Walnut tree marked on two sides, then running 
south one mile to a red oak tree marked, then run- 
ning east one hundred rods to a black oak tree 
marked, then running north one mile to the Chest- 
nut tree iirst mentioned. An heap of stones lying 
at ye root of each of ye trees. We say then thus 
laid out by us, 

Thomas Hoyt, 
Daniel Taylok, 
Surveyors of ye Town of Danhury. 
" Entered in ye public book of En- 
trys for Surveys of Land, folio 14, 
per Hezekiah Wyllys, Secretary, 
March 21, 1711." 

The next two grants in this tract of which we 
have any record were made, the first, ISfay 7th, 1700, 
to Mr. Daniel Hilton, and the second October 10th, 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 5 

1706, to Mr. Richard Hubbell. They were laid out 
nearly at the same time, and side by side with tiie 
preceding grant, as follows : 

" Makcii 3rd, a.d. 1711. 

"" Then laid out ye Glrant of two hundred acres of 
land made by ye General Court to Mr. Daniel Hil- 
ton, May 7, 17()(), and ye Grant of one hundred 
acres, granted October ioth, 1706, by ye General 
Court to Mr, Richard Hubbell, all in one piece as 
folio we th, viz.. Beginning at a Walnut tree marked, 
and J. 11. upon it, standing a little way North East 
from ye Hog Ridge, between Danbury and Fau^field, 
thence running two hundred and eighty rods north- 
erly to a Red Oak tree marked, on ye West side of 
[Stadly Ridge, thence running easterly one hundred 
and eighty-four rods to the Little River at two Elm 
Staddles and a Red Oak, marked, thence running 
Southerly, west of ye river, and bounded upon it, 
two hundred and eighty rods to a bitter Walnut tree 
marked, thence running one hundred and sixty rods 
westerly to the Walnut tree first mentioned, thus and 
then laid out by us, 

Thomas Hott, 
Daniel Taylor, 
Surveyors of the Town of Daiibvry.'''' 

These grants were purchased, probably before they 
were laid out, by Mr. John Read, one of the earliest 
actual settlers of Redding. Mr. Read was a gentle- 
man of education, and later became an eminent law- 
yer in Boston. He was withal something of a wag, 
as is proven by an Indian deed given him about this 
time, which he drew up, and which was — what 
rarely happens — a humorous as well as a legal pro- 
duction.* It reads as follows : 

* For this paper and several others that follow, I am indebted to 
Mr. (ieorge Head, of Redding, a lineal descendant of Colonel Read. 



6 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

'• Know all men by these crooked Scrawls & 
Seals, yt. we Chickens, alias Sam Mohawk, k 
Naseco, do solemnly declare yi. we are owners of 
yt tract of land called Lonetown, fenced I'onnd be- 
tween Danbury and Fairfield, and Jno. Read, Govr. 
& Commander in Chief there of, k of the Domin- 
ions yr-npon depending, desiring to j)lease ns, liav 
ing plied the foot, and given ns three ponnds in 
money, & promised ns an house next autumn. In 
consideration yr'of, we do liereby give and grant to 
him and his heirs the farm above mentioned, corn 
apj3ertaining, & further of our free will — mention 
& soverain pleasure make ye land a manour, In- 
dowing ye land with ye jirivileges yr of, and create 
the sd. John Read, Lord Justice and Soverain Pon- 
tiff of the same to him and his heirs forever : Wit- 
ness our crooked marks and borrowed Seals, this 
seventh day of Maj'^, Anno Regni, Anno Dei, (Tiatia 
Magna Brittanina, and Regina Decirao Tertio, Anno 
Doni'r, 1714. 

ll 1 S 

" Chickens, alias ^ 

Sam Mohawk, -, 

' mark. 

his 

Naseco X 

mark. 

Sealed and delivered in presence of 

his 

Winiiam, X 

mark. 

his 

Liacus, 'i 

crook. 

IS'atiiax Gold. 

her 

Maktjia Hahney, X 

mark. 

"The above mentioned Chickens & Xaseco — 
personally ap^jearod & acknowledged ye above 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 7 

Instrument yr free act and clieai'ful deed in Fair- 
tie-ld, ye 7tli of May, 1714, 

before me. 

N. Gold, 

Dei:>t. Govrr 

Abouc 1723 Captain Samuel Coucli of Fairfield 
appears as a large landholder in Redding, and his 
operations there seem to have caused the settlers no 
little uneasiness. The General Court of 1712 had 
ordered that all the lands lying between Danbury 
and Fairfield, not taken up by actual settlers, should 
be sold in Fairfield at pid:>lic vendue. The land, 
however, was not sold until the August of 1722, 
Avhen it was bid off by Captain Couch for himself 
and ISTathan Gold, Esq. No notice of the vendue 
was given to the settlers at Redding, and when news 
of the sale reached them they became very much 
excited and indignant, and Mr. Read at once drew 
up the following protest and x^etition, which was 
signed by the farmers and presented to the next 
General Court at New Haven. It is noteworthy 
from the fact that the Quaker system of dates is 
used. 

"At a General Court held at New Haven, 8tli, 
10th, 1723. 
" To the Honor Me tlie General Court: 

" John Read in behalf of himself and the rest of 
the farmers or proprietors of farms between Dan- 
bury and Fairfield, humbly sheweth, 

"That the Hon'ble Nathan Gold, Esq., late de- 
ceased, and Peter Burr, Esq., as Agents for ye Col- 
ony, held a Yandue lately at Fairfield about ye time 
of ye Superior Courts sitting yr in August last, and 
KoldtoCapt. Samuel Couch, who bid for himself and 



8 JITSrORY OF REDDING. 

for s'd Nathan Gold, Esq., all ye land between Fair- 
Held and Danbiiry not before disposed of for the sum 

of • -. Yr linmble pet'rs conceive the same 

ought not to be ratified :. becanse ye same was done so 
rmexpectedly, and without siifRcient notice, none of 
us most nearly concerned knew any thing of it : if ye 
order of ye General Court had l)een freshly passed, 
ye less notice was need fall, but lying ten or twelve 
years, sufficient notice was not given, and well con- 
sidered it cant be good. The inconveniences are in- 
tolerable ; the place is no^v growing to be a village 

apace. Ye lands i:)urcliased are bntye 

over and over for farms. 

"" The remaining Scraps will be a very lean and 
scanty allowance for a comon, and (are) absolutel^^ 
necessary to accommodate the i)lace with hiways, 
and some strix3s left on purpose for ye use and ye 
surveying of the farms — Several farms interfere 
through mistakes and such interfers must be sup- 
l)lied elsewhere ; now in such circumstances it was 
never the hard fate of any ]ioor place to have ye 
sliad}^ Rock at their door, and ye path out of town 
or about town sold away from them by ye General 
('Ourt. Therefore humbly praying ye Hon'ble 
Court to grant ye same to ye proj)rietors of farms 
there in proportion for a common and hiways, or 
if the same seem too much, since some persons have 
})id a sum for our hiways we pray to buy them at 
lirst hands, and will pay this Hon'ble Court for the 
same as much as ye Court shall sett upon, and 
remain your honor's most obedient servants. 

" Jno. Kead," 

When the matter came before the Court, Mr. Read 
T)roduced several witnesses to show that the vendue 
was conducted in an unseemly and illegal manner ; 
among them Mr. Jonathan Sturges, who deposed as 
follows : 



HISTORY OF ItEDDING. 9 

" Some of the Company hegan to bid for s'tl land, 
and some of tlie Company desired that Mr. 8tone 
who was there present, w(Mdd imll out his watch 
and that the time for bidding- slionld be bat ten 
minutes, and the watch was laid down on the table ; 
for a little time the people bid but slowly ; but 
when they perceived the ten minutes to be near out, 
they began to bid very briskly, and when it come to 
the last minute, the j)eople bid more quickly, and at 
the last they lud so quick after one another that it 
was hard to distinguish whose bid it was ; at the 
very minute the tenth minute ended ; but I, stand- 
ing near the watch, spoke and said, ' the time is (uit, 
audit's Capt. Couch's bid,' but I am certain Thomas 
Hill bid twenty shillings more.' " 

Mr. Read did not succeed in his attempt to have 
the sale set aside, and the lands were adjudged to the 
purchasers. Captain Couch seems to have disposed 
of an interest in a part of his purchase to Thomas 
Nash, of Fairiield, and in 1723 the two received a 
joint patent for the same : this patent is a curious 
and valuable document and is given entire : 

" Whereas, the Governor and Company of the 
English Colony of Connecticut, in General Court as- 
sembled at Hartford, the 8th day of May Anno 
Domini 1712, did order and enact that all those lands 
(lying within the said Colony) between Danbury on 
the north, and the towns of Fairfield and Nor walk 
on the south, should be sold at Public Vendue, and 
by said act did fully authorize and emjDower the 
lion''''' Nathan Gold and Peter Burr Esq. both of 
the town of Fairfield aforesaid, to make sale and 
dispose of the s'd same lands accordingly, and 
whereas the s'd Nathan Gold and Peter Burr in pur- 
suance and by force and virtue of the aforesaid act, 
did by their deed in writing, executed in due form 



10 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

bearing date this first day of May, Anno Domini, 
1728, for a valuable sum of money paicl l)y Samuel 
Couch and TJu)mas Nash, l)oth of the town af ores' d. 
Grant, sell, and convey unto them the s'd Samuel 
Couch and Thomas Nash, one hundred acres of s'd 
land bounded and butted as follows, that is to say, 
lying within six rods of the north bounds line of the 
townships aforcsM, and on both sides of the road 
that leads from Norwalk to Danbury, and lying the 
wliole length of the one hundred acres formerly 
laid out to s'd Thomas Nash and bounded westerly 
by the s'd Thomas Nash, and from the north east 
corner of s'd Nash, his bound being a black oak 
stump, that stands on the land, and a small box 
wood tree marked in course, running northerly, sixty 
eight degrees, eastwardly thiity two rods to a white 
onk staddle, thence South forty three degrees and 
thirty minutes, eastwaidly fifty rods to a rock, and 
stones on the same, that stands on the eastward side 
of a brook that runs by the southerly end of 
Umj)awaug Hill, between the s'd In-ook and Danbury 
]'oad, and from s'd Eock to run North sixty eight 
degrees, Eastwardly eighty six rods to a mass of 
stoneii, then South twenty two degrees, Eastwardly, 
one huiidred and thirteen rods to a white oak sa])- 
ling, marked, standing on the aforementioned North 
bounds line of Fairfield, then by s'd line one 
hundred and forty rods up to the South East corner 
of s'd Nash, his one hundred acres, Danbuiy road 
being allowed in above measure of six rods wi(ie, and 
the hi way by the Townshix^'s line of six rods wide, 
and whereas the s'd Samuel Couch, and Thomas 
Nash, have humbly desired that they may have a 
particular grant of s'd Governor andComi)any made 
(by Patent) unto them, their heirs and assigns for 
the same land l)ounded butted and described, under 
the seal of the s'd Colony, know ye therefore, that 
the Governor and Company of the s'd Colony, in 
pursuance, and by virtue of the i:»owers granted unto 



HISTORY OF REDDING. H 

them by onr late Sovereign Lord, King Charles the 
Second of blessed memory, in, and by his Majestie's 
letters patent nnder the great seal of England bear- 
ing date the three and twentieth day of April, in the 
fonrteenth year of his s'd Ma jes tie's Reign, have 
given and granted, and by these presents, for them 
their heirs and snccessors do give grant, ratifie, and 
confirm nnto them the s'd Samnel Conch and Thomas 
Nash, their heirs and assigns forever, all the sM 
peice or parcell of land containing one hnndred acres 
be the same niore or less, batted and bounded as 
af ores' d, and all and singular, the woods, timber, 
under woods, lands, waters, brooks, ponds, fishings, 
fowlings, mines, minerals and precious stones, upon 
or within the s'd piece or parcell of land, here by 
2:ranted or mentioned, or intended to be granted as 
af ores' d, and all and singular, the rights, members, 
hereditaments and appurtenances of the same, and 
the reversion or reversions, remainder or remainders, 
— profits, privileges whatsoever, of and in the s'd 
peice or parcell of land or every or any part thereof. 
To have and to hold the s'd one hundred acres of 
land hereby granted with all and singular, its appur- 
tenances unto them the s' d Samuel Couch and Thomas 
Nash, their heu-s and assigns to and for their own 
proper use, benefit, and behoof from the day of the 
date hereof, and from time to time, and at all times 
forever here after, as a good, sure, lawful, absolute, 
indefeasible estate of Inheritance in Fee simple, 
without any condition, limitation, nse, or other 
thing to alter change, or make void the same. To 
be holden of our Sovereign Lord, King George, his 
heirs and successors, as of his Majestie's ^Manor of 
East Greenwich, in the county of Kent, in the King- 
dom of England, in free and common soccage and 
not in cappitee, nor by Knight service ; they yield- 
ing and paying therefor to our Sovereign Lord the 
King, his heirs and successors forever, only the fifth 
part of all the oar of Gold and Silver, which fiom 



12 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

time to time, and at all times hereafter shall be got- 
ten, had or otherwise obtained ; in lieu of all rents, 
services, duties and demands whatsoever according to 
charter. In witness whereof, Ave the s'd Governor 
and Company have cansed the SeaA of the s'd Colony 
to be hereunto affixed, the fourteenth day of May, 
Anno George, Magna Brittannia? &c. Annoque Do- 
mini 1723. 

Ct. Saltonstall, 
Governor. 
' ' By order of the Governor, ♦ 

Hezekiati Wyllys, 

Secretary.'''' 

Subsequently Captain Couch purchased of the In- 
dians a tract of land lying in Louetown, contiguous 
to the estate of Mr. John Read, and which a few 
years later he sold to that gentleman. The deed 
was given by Chickens, and some of its provisions 
caused considerable trouble to the colonists in later 
years. This deed is as follows : 

" Know all men whom it may concern that I 
Chicken an Indian Saggamore living between Fair- 
field, Danlmry, Kidgeheld and Newtown, at a place 
called Lonetown in'the county of Fairfield in the 
Colony of Connecticut, in New England, for and in 
(K)nsideration of twelve jDounds, six shillings, al- 
ready paid unto me by Samuel Couch of Fairfield, 
husbandman, have given, granted, bargained, sold, 
confirmed, and firmly made over unto said Samuel 
Couch, his heirs and"^ assigns forever, all the lands, 
lying, being and situate between the aforesaid towns 
of i)anbury, Fairfield, Newtown, and Ridgefield, 
except what has been by letters patent from the 
Governor and Company of this Colony of Connecti- 
cut made over unto any jjeison or persons or for 
any particular or public' use. To have and to hold 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 13 

nnto the said Samuel Coucli, and to his heirs and 
assigns forever the aforesaid granted and described 
lands or nnx)atented premises, with all the lorivi- 
leges and appurtenances thereunto belonging, or any 
manner of way appertaining, affirming myself to be 
the true owner, and sole i^roprietor of said land and 
have just, firm, and only right to dispose of the 
same. Resermng in the 'whole of tlie same, liberty 
for myself and my heirs to hunt, fish and fold 
upon the land and in the waters, and further 
resermng for myself, my children, and grand 
children and their posterity the use of so much land 
by my present dwelling house or wigwam as the 
Genercd Assembly of the Colony by themseUes cr 
a Committee indifferently appoinled shall judge 
necessary for my or their personal improvement, 
that is to say my Children, cltildren' s cMldren 
and posterity, furthermore I the said Chickens 
do covenant, promise, and agree, to and with the 
said Samuel Couch, that I the said Chickens, my 
heirs, executors, and administrators, the said de- 
scribed lands and bargained premises, unto the said 
Samuel Couch his heirs etc. against the claims and 
demands of all manner of persons whatever, to war- 
rant and forever by these presents defend. In con- 
firmation ol the above premises I the said Chickens 
set to my hand and seal this 18th day of February 
Anno Domini one thousand seven hundred and 
twenty four five Annoque Regis, etc." 

his 
Chickens, X Saggamore. 
mark 

But the proprietors of Redding could not long rest 
satisfied with the sale that had placed in the hands 
of two men nearly all the unoccupied lands lying in 
the " peculiar," and in 1725 made a second and, so 
far as appears, unsuccessful attempt to reverse the for- 



1-i HISTORY OF REDDING. 

mer decision of the Court. This attempt took the 
shape of a petition, and was as folk)\vs : 

" To the Honor ahJc tlte General Court to he lioldcn 
at Hartford on the Second Thursday of May, 

THE EAlllSTEST PEAYER 

Of the inhabitants, and of those that have farms 
in a ceL'tain tract of land lying betAveen Fairlield and 
Danbnry, Newtown and Richfield, with wh(jm the 
Projn'ietory of a certain division of Land in Fairfield 
importunately joins — 

" Whereas the Honorable General Assembly of 
this Colony hath in several of then* Sessions, been 
pleased out of their great goodness & generosity to 
give nnto some of your hnmble Petitioners & to others 
of them to sell certain Parcells of Land between the 
aforesaid towns & many of yonr Petitioners that 
they might get a comfortable maintenance & therel)y 
be better able to serve their country have removed 
from tlieir former habitations with great families of 
Cliildren nnto sd Land where we by ye blessing of 
God on our Industry have (passed) through (the) 
many difficulties that generally attend such new & 
Wooden Ilnbitations and have now yet to go through, 
which are by us insuperable — but reflecting upon 
your Honor's accustomed Goodness, ready protec- 
tion, and willing encouragement towards all such 
that have been under ye like circumstances as we 
now are, makes us far from despairing of Living 
like rational Creatures and Christians in a very few- 
years, and iTuder our present Circumstances we 
iiave often the neighboring Ministers preacliing ye 
word of God to us, and when your Honors shall be 
pleased to grant this our earnest & necessary request 
(mr number of Iidiabitants will immediately be 
greatly renewed & we soon able to obtain a Minister 
& give him an honoral)le support— and that is to 
grant the vacant land that lies in slips and ^^ieces 
between ye Land already given and sold to your 



HISTORY OF BEDDING. 15 

Petitioners to lye for a ]3erpetnal Comon for ye good 
of ye Parish : otherwise your poor Petitioners living 
at a great distance from any place where the pn]:)lic 
worship of God is attended, must be obliged and 
their Posterity after them to be soon as the Hathen 
fii^e— withont the outward and ordinary means of Sal- 
vation, the Thought of which makes us now most 
imi)ortnnately address your Honors with this oar 
Request making no doubt but yt ye desire youi- 
Honors have & the great care you have always taken 
to promote & encourage Religion— will also now be 
moved to grant your poor Petitioners their Request, 
it being no more than your Honors have often don«^ 
even unto every new Plantation, many of which are 
not nor never will be comiDarable unto this. Yoni- 
Honors, granting us this our Request, and it will 
be as we humbly conceive the most profitable w^ay 
for ye good of this Colony to dispose of ye land for 
a perpetual comon, for ye good of a Parish than any 
other w\ay Avhatsoever : for a flourishing and large 
Parish such as we are assured this will make will 
soon pay more into ye Public Treasury than the 
whole of the Land would do if it w^ere now to be 
sold : and not only so, but your poor Petitioners & 
their Posterity preserved from Heathenism & Infidel- 
ity : for if your Honors should not grant the Land 
for a com.mon for the good of a Parish your poor 
Petitioners— the most of us at h^ast, must l)e shut 
wdthin the compass of our own land, & cant pos- 
sibly get off unless we trespass, or gain the shift yt 
the birds of the air have, neither to market nor meet- 
ing & w^e & our Posterity forever unable to have a 
settled Minister & your Honors may easily conceive 
how greatly disadvantageous to our Temporal I]i- 
terest, wdiich is so great an act of cruelty and hard- 
ship that never yet was experienced from your Hon- 
ors & your Petitioners humbly beg they may not : 
but vt thev may be sharers with their neighbors in 
your^ Honor's thoughtfid care and regard for them-- 
" And if vonr Honors in their Prudence and Wis- 



16 HISTORY OF BEDDING. 

dom shall think it best to sell the aforesaid Land 
your Petitioners hnml^ly beg they may liav^e the 
first offer of it, who are always ready to give as 
ninch as any shall or will let it lye for a perpetual 
Common, k your hnmble Petitioners beg and most 
earnestly desire the Land may not be sold from 
their doors or confirmed to any yt pretend they 
have bought it : for whatever pretended sale there 
has been made thereof already we huml)ly conceive 
that it was not with the proper Power & Legality 
that it ought to be confirmed : and as for its being 
purchased of the Indian (who both English and In- 
dian acknowledge has a good Indian title to it viz. 
Chicken, is by what we can learn by the Indian him- 
self & ye circumstances of, a sligh peice of policy & 
we fear Deceit, ye latter of which the Indian con- 
stantly affirms it to be, for his design as he saith, 
and being well acquainted with him, living many of us 
near him have great reason to believe him, was to 
sell but a small Quantity, about two or three hundred 
acres, but in ye deed ye whole of the land is compre- 
hended, which when the Indian heard of it he was 
greatly enraged, and your Petitioners humbly beg 
yt such a sale may not be confirmed, lest it prove 
greatly disadvantageous to this Colony & cause 
much bloodshed, as instances of ye like nature have 
in all Probability in oar neighboring Provinces — 

* ' Your Petitioners most earnestly & heartily beg- 
that your Honors would think on them & grant tlieni 
their request, & your Petitioners as in duty bound 
shall ever pray — 

John Read, Will'm Hill, 

THOMAS WILLIAMS, Dan'LL CkOFOOT, 

Stephen Morehouse, Ebenezer Hull, 

BEN.TAMIISr HAMBLETON, ASA HaLL, 

Benjamin franklin, Joseph Meeker, 

Moses Knapp, Dan'l Lyon, 

Nathan Lyon, Thomas Hill, 

Benajah Hall, George Hull. 

' ' And we, ye Proprietors of a certain Division of 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 17 

Land in Fairfield called ye Longlots most heartily 
join with your Honor's above Petitioners in their 
needfnl Request to you, & as we your humble j)e- 
titioners being well acquainted wdth the circumstances 
of them — they being oar Children Friends & Neigh- 
bors & concerned greatly for their welfare do ear- 
nestly beg that your Honors would consider how 
melancholy a thing it is, that these poor people 
should live destitute of the means of grace for Avant 
oidy of your small encouragement wliich to give them 
would not only be most certainly very pleasing to 
Almighty God but would likewise enrich this Colony 
if a large & Rich Parish will any ways contribute 
thereto, & as your Petitioners Land runs to & ad- 
joy ns to ye aforesaid Vacant Land, We for the good 
of a Parish, thereby to advantage your above poor 
Petitioners are wdlling & very ready to give in Two 
miles of our land adjoining to the afores'd Vacant 
Land to be within the Parish ; & are assured if your 
Honors would grant the afores'd Land to be for a 
Comon there soon would be a Flourishing Parish ; 
& being so well acquainted with the Circum- 
stances of the above Petitioners that we cant but 
earnestly & Pathetically entreat your Honors to> 
grant their Request. 

" & your Petitioners as in Duty bound shall ever' 
Pray:" 

Moses Dimon, Joseph Wilson,. 

JoHisr Hide, Joiiisr Wheelek, 

Tho. Hill, Joiii^ Sturges, 

Cornelius Hull, Joseph Wheeler, 

Elizabeth Burr, Thomas Sanford, 

JoNA Sturgis, John Morehouse, 

John Smith, Joseph Rowland, 

Thad's Burr, William Hill, 

Andrew^ Burr, Nathan Gold, 

Samuel Wakeman, John Gold, 

Samuel Squires, Robert Silliman, 

EzEKiEL Sanford, Daniel Morehouse. 
Robert Turney, Jr., 
3 



18 J/ISTOliY OF REDDING. 

Tlic settlement of Georgetown seems to have been 
begun at about the same time as the other portions 
of the town, though the present village has had Imt 
a short existence. 

The hrst settlers in tliat section seem to have been 
Benjamin and Isaac Rumsey, one of whom lived in 
a liouse that stood in the old orchard east of Aaron 
Osborne"' s, and the other near the site of the present 
homestead of Mr. S. M. Main, As early as 1721 
Robert Rumsey, of Fairfield, bought of John Apple- 
gate a large tract of land located in what is now the 
village of Georgetown. In 1724 he willed this land 
to his three sons, Benjamin, Isaac, and Robert. Ben- 
jamin and Isaac were actual settlers on this tract, 
and the former's estate was inventoried and dis- 
tributed in 1744. 

The earliest settlers located their houses on the 
three fertile ridges that now foi'in the most strik- 
ing as well as beautiful features of our landscape. 
The valleys were avoided, as being literally in the 
shadow of death from the miasms which they en- 
gendered ; the hills, according to the early writers, 
were open, dry, and fertile, and, being compara- 
tively healthful, were in almost all cases selected as 
sites for the infant settlements. At that day they 
were covered, like the valleys, with continuous for- 
ests of oak, chestnut, hickory, and other native 
woods, from which every autumn the Indians re- 
moved the underbrush by burning, so that they as- 
sumed tlie appearance of natural parks : Indian 
paths wound through the forest, often selected with 
so much engineering skill as to be followed later 
by the highw^ays of the settlers. There were '^ long- 



HISTORY OF llEBBING. 19 

drawn aisles and fretted vaults" in these verdant 
temples, nooks of outlook, and open, sunny glades, 
which were covered with tufts of lono; coarse grass ; 
groves of chestnut and hickory afforded shelter to 
whole colonies of squirrels — black, gray, and red. 
Other game was abundant. Deer, wild turkeys, 
water fowl, quail, partridges, an occasional bear, and, 
in the autumn, immense flocks of wild pigeons dark- 
ened the air with their numbers. Panthers were 
seen rarely ; wolves were al)undant, and the otter 
and beaver fished and builded in the rivers. Both 
tradition and the written accounts agree in ascribing 
to tlie rivers an abundance of fish : Little River is 
especially mentioned as being the favorite home of 
the trout, and tradition asserts that scarcely four 
generations ago they were so abundant in that 
stream that the Indian boys would scoop them u]) 
in the shallows with their hands. 

According to tradition, the three first houses in th(^ 
town were built nearly at the same time. One was in 
Boston district, where Mr. Noah Lee's house now 
stands, the second in the centre, on the site of Captain 
Davis's present residence, and the third in Lonetown, 
built by Mr. John Read, and which occupied the site 
of Mr. Aaron Treadweir s present residence. It is re- 
lated of the lady of the house in the Boston district, 
that, becoming frightened one day at the conduct of 
a party of Indians who entered her house l)earing an 
animal unmentionable to ears polite, which they 
ordered her to cook, she seized her babe, and lied 
ndth it two miles through the forest path to her 
nearest neighbor at the Centre, arrivino- there safe- 
ly, tliough breathless and exhausted. It is fair 
to assume, however, tliat erelong neighl)ors were 



^t) UISTOIIT OF REDDING. 

nearer. Settlers beo:an to flock in from Stratford, 
Fairiield, and Norwalk ; several families moved here 
from Ridgefield and Danbuiy, and the settlement 
})egau to assume quite tlie appearance of a j)opu- 
lous community. It is not, however, until 1728 that 
we get any authentic record of the names of the in- 
habitants or of their entire number. In that year a 
petition was i^resented to the General Court praying 
that the settlement might be constituted a parish ; 
and which bears the signatures of twenty-flve of the 
pUmters or settlers of Redding. This invaluable 
paper has been jjreserved in the State Archives at 
Hartford, and is as follows : 

'' May 9th, 1723. At a General Court in Hartford. 

'' To tJie Hon-hle tlie Gov" m\ Assistants and Dep- 
uties in GenHl Court AssemUed. 

" To this Hon'ble Court yr lion'rs most humble 
pet'rs hereunto subscribing, settlers and well wishers 
to the settlement of a plantation between Fairfield 
and Danbury, Humbly Shew, That there is a Tract 
of land lying between Fairfield and Danbury, Ridge- 
field and Newtown and without all ye claims of the 
largest pretenders of those towns, containing about 
two miles wide, north and south, and six miles long- 
East and West, mostly laid out in particular farms, 
so that when the farms that casually interfere on 
((tilers are made up, there will not be one hundred 
acres of any value left in the whole. 

" On these farms are one half dozen liousen set up, 
and many more going to be set up, and therefore \Ae 
huml)ly conceive it is of great necessity for ye use of 
them, that are come and coming, and for ye incoTU-- 
agement of others to come, to take some prudent 
care for the establishment of Divine service in that 
place. That forasmuch as the distance from this 
land to Fairfield church measures about fourteen 
miles or better, that is the part on which will car- 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 21 

tainly be most of tlie inlargement made, and on that 
side tlie bounds of those lands nncertain ; for the 
grant of 12 miles from the sea given to Fairfield, as 
far as we can learn has never yet been measured, as 
it ought long since to have been done. Your hon'rs 
pet'rs therefore humbly pray that a Com' tee may 
be appointed to measure out the twelve miles granted 

to Fairfield from the and put the vacant land, 

if any shall then appear into the hands of a Com' tee 
of ye Court to be dealt out to such as will settle on 
and improve the same, at such price as will bear ye 
charge of ye Com' tee therein, first laying out a farm 
of 200 acres for ye ministry, 200 for a school, and as 
much for tlie first minister that shall settle there, 
and annex the whole to the town of Fairfield. Set- 
tling the bounds of the parish to comprehend so 
much of the west end of ye long lots of Fairfield as. 
may make it near square at ye discretion of ye 
Com' tee upon ye view of it when ye proprietors of 
the long lots shall settle their end they may pay 
their dues there (if they will not be so good as to 
fiing up the west end to a public use, which would 
doubtless be their private advantage also. 

" Yr hon'rs most humble pet'rs, 

Nathan Picket, Thomas Williams, 

Geiishom Morehouse, Asa Hall, 

John Hall, Joshua Hull, 

Francis Hall, David Crofut, 

Robert Chauncey, Jno. Read, 

WoLcoTT Chauncey, Isaiah Hull, 

Daniel '^ Moses knapp, 

William Hill, Jr., Benjamin Sturges. 

Phillip Judd, Sam'l Hall, 

Nathan Adams, .Iohn Read, 2d, 

Stephen Morehouse, Burgess Hall, 
Benjamin Fayerweather, Isaac Hall. 
Thomas Bailey," 

* Illeojible. 



2:1 HISTORY OF BEDDING. 

^'airfield, as was to be expected, opposed the 
p,etitioii, and her potent influence defeated the meas- 
ure, and although it was agitated year by year, it 
was not until 1729 that the i~»etitioners effected theii' 
object, and the little settlement blossomed into the 
dignity of a parish. 

The action of the General Court constituting it a 
Parish is thus recorded in the Colonial Kecords, vol. 
vii. pp. 231-2 : 

" Upon the memorial of John Read, in behalf of 
liimself and the rest of the inhabitants of Lonetown, 
(jhestnutt Ridge, and the peculiar between Fairheld 
and Banbury, shewing to this Assembly, the great 
difficidty they labor under in attending on the publick 
worship' of God, and the forwardness of the to^\n of 
l^\iirlield to encourage them to set up the x)ublick 
worship of God among themselves, by conceding 
that two miles of the rear end of their long lots be 
added to them, in order to the making them a par- 
ish, and praying this Assembly that they irnxy be 
allowed to ]:>e a society for the worslii]) (jf God, with 
the privileges usually granted to such societies or 
X)arislies, and that said society or parish may com- 
prize those lands that lie encirculed betwixt the town- 
ships of Fairfield, Danbury, Newtown and Ridge- 
field, together with the aforesaid two miles of Faii"- 
field long lots ; and that they may have remitted to 
them their country rate during the pleasure of this 
Assembly ; and that all the lands aforesaid may be 
taxed by the order of said' Assembly, and that said 
parish may be annexed to Fairfield, and that it be 
named Redding. This Assembly grants that the 
said Lonetown, Chestnutt Ridge and the jieculiar 
thereof, be a society or parish ])y themselves, and to 
have all the privileges usually granted to societies or 
parishes, and that said society or parish shall com- 
T>rize all those lands that lie encircuk-d betwixt the 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 33 

townships of Fairfield, Danbiiry, Newtown, and 
Bid.o'elield, together witli two nules of the rear end 
of Fairfield long lots. Furthermore this Assembly 
doth remit to them their conntiy rate for foiii- 
years, excluding those only who decline to joyn with 
them for what is prayed for, of being released of 
country tax ; and that all the laid out, unimx^roved 
lands within the limits of said x^aiish be taxed at six 
shillings a hundred acres per year for four years, and 
that the money raised therel)y be improv^ed for the 
defraying the ministerial charges among them in 
that place ; and that said parish be named Red- 
din q-." 



CHAPTER II. 

KEDDING AS A PARISH. 

The 23arisli history of Redding covers a space of 
thirty-eight years, and ior this period the only 
materials we have for our history — except a few en- 
tries in the records of the colony — are found in the 
re(5ord book of the First Church and Society. These 
records seem to have been kept with the most piti- 
less brevity ; only the barest details were set down, 
and if one desires more than the dry facts of this 
era, he must draw on his imagination for material. 
During this period events happened of the greatest 
moment to the colony. Three of the terrible French 
and Indian wars occui-red, to which Redding contrib- 
uted her full share of men and money, although 
Fairfield received the credit. Then there Avere con- 
stant alarms of Indians on the border — there were 



24 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

hunting and exploring parties into the wilderness, 
under the guidance of the friendly Indians, and tlie 
usual incidents of pioneer life ; all of which would 
have been vastly entertaining to the men of to-day, 
and which a hundred years ago might have been 
taken down from the lips of the actors themselves, 
but which has passed away with them forever. 
Things' spoken vanish, while things written remain, 
and the unfriendliness to the pen, of the early set- 
tlers, has entailed a sad loss upon their descendants. 
It is evident, however, that this was the busiest pe- 
riod in the history of the town. The men were 
abroad in the clearings from morn till night, felling 
the trees, burning, ploughing, sowing, and reaping, 
or building churches, school-houses, mills, high- 
ways, and l)ridges. The women remained in the 
rude cottages, preparing the simple food, carding 
and si)inning wool, weaving it into cloth, fashioning 
the homely garments of linsey-woolsey and home- 
spun, and rearing their large families of rosj^, health- 
ful children. This is the picture in the barest out- 
line ; the imagination of the reader will fill it out at 
pleasure : but, as before said, for our details— 
acknowledged facts— we must turn to the quaint and 
musty records of the Society. 

The first Society meeting was held June 5th, 1729 
__less than a month after the j-arish was organized. 
A fuller account of this meeting will be found in 
the history of the First Church and Society. The 
three first committee-men of the parish, elected at 
this meeting, were John Read, George Hull, and 
Lemuel Sanford. At this time, too, the " places for 
settino- lip w^arnings for Society meetings" were de- 



lIISrORY OF REDDING. 25 

termined on as follows : "In the lane by Ebenezev 
Hull, and a Chestnnt tree by Mr. John Heads, and 
a post set nj) by Moses Knaps :" These were the first 
sign-posts in the town. Ebenezer Hull' s house I am 
unable to locate. Mr. .folin Read's house has al- 
ready been located. Mr. Knap lived probably where 
James Kerwick now lives. 

The next February a parish rate or tax of 2d. 
2 far. on the pound was laid, and John Hull was ap- 
I)ointed the first tax-collector ; he received for gath- 
ering the rate fourteen shillings. The next year, 
February 23d, 1730-1, the rate had risen to 9d. on 
the pound, and John Read appears as collector. 
The next year, 1732, the first " pound" was built by 
Mr. John Read, near his house, and at a Society 
meeting held January 25th, 1732, he was appointed 
" key-keejier." May 8th, 1732, they petitioned the 
General Court to have their north-west corner 
bounds settled, Captain Couch bearing the charges. 
The same meeting they voted " that there shall be 
but one sign-post in this society," and voted that 
this sign-post should be by the meeting-house, 
which had lieen built the preceding year on the com- 
mon. Mr. Hun, the first minister, was settled early 
in 1733, and the rates that year rose to the high fig- 
ure of one shilling on the pound. A very important 
entry appears on the records of a meeting held Octo- 
l)er 17th, 1734, wherein Stephen Burr and Thomas 
Williams were appointed a committee to the County 
Court to desire the court to choose a committee to 
lay out the county road from Chestnut Ridge to 
Fairfield town. This road was probably the first 
ever laid out through the town, and passed through 



20 IIISTORT OF REDDING. 

Lonotown, tlie Centre, and Sanford town, and tlience 
nearly direct to Fairfield. 

December lOtli, 1735. — Stephen Bnrr was appointed 
a committee to go to the County Court, and desire 
them to send a committee to lay out necessary high- 
ways in tliat part of the parish above the long lots. 

January 26th, 1737. — " Joseph Sanford and Samuel 
Sanford w^ere apx)ointed a committee to take charge 
of the parsonage money belonging to said parish, 
giving a receipt to said parish, and to let the same 
at their discretion, and to the best advantage, taking- 
double security in land, and not to let less than fifty 
pounds to one man, and for no longer time than live 
years, and said committee shall be accountable to 
the parish committee for the interest of said money, 
and also at the period of abovesaid term of live 
years, for the principal." 

December 2Gth, 1737. — It was " voted to have a par- 
ish scliole, voted to maintain s'd schole by a parish 
rate voted that John Read, Josej)h Lees, Josepli 
Sanford, John Hull, Matthew Lion, Stephen More- 
house, and Daniel Licm, shall be a com'tee for s'd 
schole, also that s'd schole shall be divided into thre(3 
parts, that is to say, five months in that quarter 
called the Eidge, and five months in the west side 
of the parish near the mill, and two months at Lone- 
town, understanding that the centre of division is 
the meeting lious, and likewise that Stephen Burr 
belongs to the west side." Thus was established the 
first school. Subsequent action of the parish in this 
direction will be found in the chapter on Schools. 

At the above meeting, John Read, Esq., was cho- 
sen to represent the society, " to pray for to be relest 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 27 

from paying county rates." The action of tlie Gen- 
eral Court on this petition is given in Colonial Rec- 
ords, vol. viii., p. 176, as follows : " Upon the memo- 
rial of the Presbyterian society in the parish of Read- 
ing in Fairfield County setting forth to this Assembly 
their low circumstances, and praying a remission of 
their country tax : this Assembly do grant unto the 
said society their country tax for the space of four 
years next coming." 

It will be remembered that the bill organizing the 
parish in ] 729 exempted it from country rates for 
four years. In 1733 the Assembly granted them a 
further release of four years, and also imi:)Osed a 
' ' tax of three shillings per one hundred acres, on all 
unimproved lands laid out in said society |for the 
space of four years, to be exclusive of those lands 
belonging to persons of the episcopal persuasion 
(who) by our law are discharged from paying taxes 
for the su2:)port of the ministry allowed by the laws 
of this Colony." 

When the next quadrennium began in 1741, the 
parish seems to have been on a better financial foot- 
ing, and no further taxes were remitted. Apropos 
to the above, it may be remarked that in 1737 the 
parish rates had risen to Is. Id. on the pound. 
Continuing our extracts from the parish records, we 
find at a meeting held August 22d, 1738, that " it 
was voted to try for town privileges in s'd Society, "^ 
and Stephen Burr was chosen agent " to see if the 
town {I.e. Fairfield) will consent that s'd Society shall 
have town privileges." 

This entry gives a hint of the rapid groAvth of the 
settlement, and of the energy and enterprise of its in- 



28 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

habitants. There were many reasons why they desir- 
ed a separation : Fairfield was fourteen miles distant, 
and the interests of the two were distinct ; then they 
must go to Fairfield to vote, to pay taxes, and to 
record deeds and conveyances. They could not even 
liave their necessary highways laid out without the 
consent of that town ; hence we find them making 
early and persistent efi'orts for town privileges, so 
eifectually opposed, however, by the mother town, 
that it was not until twenty-nine years after that the 
town was organized. 

In this year, 1739, the place for putting up warn- 
ings for the society's meetings was changed from 
Tlmpawaug to the mill-door. In the vote establish- 
ing a school in 1737, reference is made to the mill, 
and it is evident that it was erected at 'a very early 
date. The miller and the blacksmith were very 
necessary artisans in a new settlement, and grants of 
land were in many cases made to induce them to set- 
tle : if such was the fact in Redding no record of it 
remains. According to tradition, the first miller was 
Jabez Burr, and the first mill stood on the Sauga- 
tuck, near the present dwelling of Stephen Burr, a 
short distance above where the Nobbs Crook road 
crosses the stream. 

October 1st, 1740, it was voted to try and get liberty 
to have the north of Redding set off for a town, and 
in December " to have a pound erected on the high- 
way southwest of Ebenezer Ferry's barn provided 
he will build it on his own charge, ' ' also voted that 
" Ebenezer Ferry be key keeper of the pound and 
have the profits of it." This was the second x)ound 
erected in the parish, the first being at Mr. John 



UI^TOEY OF REDDING. '^0 

Read' s. In 1741 they again voted to ask tlie consent 
of the town, that " we may have town privileges." 

No further entries of importance appear nntil 
1746, when Joseph Sanford was appointed agent for 
the parish to " petition the Superior Court now sit- 
ting in Faii'field to appoint a committee to lay out 
higliways through the lands granted to Capt. 
Couch and Company in s'd parish" (these lands were 
in Umpawaug). In 1747 a list of the parish officers 
is given. They were as follows : Lemuel Sanford, 
selectman ; Adam Clark, constable ; Daniel Meeker, 
David Knapp, grand-jurymen ; Thomas Taylor, 
James Gray, James Morgaiu, Joseph Hawley, Jos- 
eph Bradley, Jabez Burr, surveyors of highway ; 
Ebenezer Couch, Tliomas Taylor, listers ; AVilliam 
Burritt, John Mallory, tithing men ; Lieutenant 
Stephen Burr, Joseph Hawley, fence viewers ; Al- 
len Lee, key -keeper for the pound. 

January 23d, 1749, it was voted that " Ephraim 
Jackson shall procure a copy of the doings of the 
General Assembly concerning highways in the coun- 
try in this parish," and at the same time complaint 
was made against Daniel Deane, the Society's col- 
lector for the year previous, for his "mismanage- 
ment " in collecting the rate, and it was voted " that 
the committee shall prosecute him in case he shall 
not satisfy them." This action seems to have been 
carried to Mr. Deane at once, for he the next day 
makes this humble apology : 

" Redding, January 24, 1749. 

" To 3Ir. Jeliit Burr, 31 r. >>teplien Beits, and Mr. 
Samuel Sanford, Couimittee men for said Red- 
ding : 
. " Gentlemen, I understand you have declared 



30 UISTOUY OF IlEDDING. 

tliat there is some mismanagement in the rate that I 
have to gather in the year 1748, and you seem to 
think that T have done tlie same, and if you insist 
upon it, I desire your forgiveness : in so doing you 
will mucli oblige your humble servant. 

" Daniel Deaxe." 

In 1754 the parish again applied for town privi- 
leges without success, and again in 1757 with a like 
result. 

The next attempt in 1760 was successful, and the 
Assembly of 1707 j^assed the long-desired act of in- 
(jorporation. 

It will be noticed that nothing is said in the rec- 
ords concerning the tribe of Indians inhabiting the 
parish, but from other sources we learn that quite 
important changes had taken place amcmg them. 
Their chief, Chickens, after causing the settlers no 
little trouble concerning the deeds which he had 
given them, had been induced in 1749 to remove 
with most of his tribe to Scattacook. in New Mil- 
ford, and there were now but a few scattered fami- 
lies remaining in the town. No less than three jieti- 
tions of Chickens, complaining of the injustice of 
the settlers, are j)reserved in the Colonial Records. 
The first, loresented to the General Court of May, 
1735, asked that in accordance with the provisions of 
his deed to Samuel Coucli in 1725, the Assembly 
would appoint a committee to lay out to him, his 
children, children's children, and their posterity, so 
much land near his wigwam as they should deem 
necessary for his and their j^ersonal improvement ; 
and the Assembly appointed such a committee. 

No report of the action of this comnuttee is pre- 



niBTORY OF REDDING. -jl 

served in the archives ; but ten years later, in 1745. 
Chickens again petitioned the Assembly to appoint 
a committee to view his lands for the same purpose, 
and the Assembly appointed such a committee " to 
repair to and upon said land, and having due regard 
to said deed of conveyance, with the savings and res- 
ervations therein contained, to survey and by proper 
meets and bounds set out for, and to the use of 
the memorialist and his children, such and so much 
of said lands as they shall be of opinion— (on hear- 
ing all parties or persons therein concerned) ought 
to be allowed and set out to said memorialist and his 
children. The third and last memorial, presented in 
1749, is a very interesting document, and is given in 
full. 

" The memorial of Capt. Chicken alias Sam. Mo- 
hawk of Reading in Fairfield county, shewing to this 
Assembly that in his deed formerly made to Capt. 
Samuel Couch, late of Fairfield, deceased, of his land 
Iving between the township of said Fairfield, and 
i)anburv, Ridgefield and Newtown, he had reserved to 
himself so much of said land as a committee, appoint- 
ed bv this Assembly, should judge should be suffi- 
cient' for himself, his children and posterity, for their 
personal improvement, which said reserve has since 
been set out by proper meets and bounds in two 
pieces, containing in the whole about one hundred 
acres as per the surveys thereof may api)ear, refei-enco 
thereunto being had : and showing also that John 
Eead Esq. late of Boston deceased, had surveyed, 
and laid out to him two hundred acres of land by the 
appointment of this Assembly, at a place called Scat- 
tacook bounded as in the survey thereof on record : 
and also shewing that the land aforesaid, laid out to 
the said John Read Esq. is much more convenient 
and advantageous for him, the said Chicken, being 



32 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

well situated for fishing and hunting, and tliat he 
had made and executed a deed of exchange ^ )f his 
aforesaid hundred acres, lying in two i:>ieces as afore- 
said in the parish of Reading to the said John Read 
Esq. and to his heirs, which said deed bears date 
October 11th, a.d. 1748, and in consideration thereof 
did receive of the said John Read Esq. a deed 
bearing date the day aforesaid well executed to him 
the said Chicken and to his heirs by his attorney 
John Read Esq. of said Reading, being fully au- 
thorized thereunto, of the aforesaid two hundred 
acres ; praying this Assembly that said deeds, exe- 
cuted as aforesaid, may be allowed of, ratihed, and 
be admitted as good evidence in the law for convey- 
ing and fixing the title to the several pieces of land 
aforesaid." 

This iietition the Assembly granted, and Chickens 
and his tribe soon after removed to the reservation 
at Scattacook. Ilis grandson, Tom AVarrup, how- 
ever, remained in Redding, as will be more fully re- 
lated. 



CHAPTER III. 

TOWX TIISTOUY. 

The Act of the General Assembly incorporating 
the town was as follows : 

"An Act fok makiis^g aistd forming the Pakisjf 
OF Redding into a distinct Town by them- 
selves. 

" Whereas this Assembly are informed that the 
Parish of Redding in the northwesterly part of the 
township of Fairfield is very remote from the main 
body of that town, and that they are by their situa- 



HISTORY OF REDDING. oJ 

tion almost entirely prevented from attending the 
Y)ublick meetings of said town, and that they suffer 
very great inconveniences thereby, and that for them 
any longer to continue as a parish of said Fairfield 
is very inconvenient : Therefore, 

" Be it enacted by the Governor and Council and 
Representatives in General Court assembled and by 
the authority of the same, That said Parish of Red- 
ding be and they are hereby erected, made and con- 
stituted within the limits and bounds of said parish 
a distinct Town by themselves with all the liberties, 
privileges and immunities which by law the other 
towns in this Colony have and do enjoy, and that 
said new constituted' town shall hereafter be called 
bv the name of the Town of Redding, with this Um- 
itation and restriction, that but one Representative 
which said new constituted town shall at any time 
chuse to attend the General Assemblies shall be at 
the publick expence. 

" And be it further enacted by the authority afore- 
said, That said Town of Redding shall have and 
hold their lirst Town Meeting for the choice of then- 
town officers for the present year some time in the 
month of June next, which meeting shall be warned 
by a warrant signed by any justice of the peace m 
the county of Fairfield, to be directed to some in- 
different person to serve, which warrant shall_ ap- 
point the time and place at which said meeting is to 
be held, and shall be served at least five days before 
the day appointed for the holding said meeting." 

It was passed at the May session, 176 T, and a 
meeting was held, June 15th, 1767, in accordance with 
its provisions. Colonel John Read was chosen Mod- 
erator. Lieutenant Stephen Mead was chosen clerk 
for the year, and the following town officers elected. 
Stephen Mead, Ephraim Jackson, Daniel Hill, select- 
men ; David Lyon, Asahel Fitch, Daniel Hull, con- 
4 



34 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

stables ; Benjamin Hamilton, Zalmon Read, fence 
viewers ; Peter Faircliild, Lemuel Sanford, Jr., 
David Jackson, listers ; Thomas Faircliild, Jona- 
than Couch, grand-jurymen ; (ifurdon Merchant, 
town treasurer ; Paul Bartram, Tiiomas Faircliild, 
Eleazer Smith, Jr., titliing-men ; Ebenezer Wil- 
liams, Ebenezer Couch, pound keepers ; Gershom 
Morehouse, sealer of leather ; Benjamin Meeker, 
Jonathan Mallory, sealer of weights ; Ephraim 
Jackson, Captain Henry Lyon, and Gurdon Mer- 
chant, a committee to take all proper and lawful 
methods to clear the highways. The town by vote 
made the pound by Elizabeth Sanford's the " Town 
pound," and voted " to use the school house by the 
old meeting house for ye place for holding ye town 
meetings in ye future." The second town meeting- 
was held September 28tli, the same year, at which 
" it w^as voted and agreed that whereas the people 
being within one mile of the Southeasterly end of 
this Township, and in the Northwesterly end of the 
town of Fairfield, are about to petition the General 
Assembly to be held at New Haven in October next, 
to be annexed to this town, we are willing and de- 
sirous to receive them, and that Ave will assist them 
to endeavor to have them annexed to this town by 
appointing an agent for that purpose," and Colonel 
Read was appointed siK^h agent. Shortly after they 
began agitating the question of building a town- 
house, and in November a meeting was called to 
provide " for the building or purchase of a Town 
house and pound. The lirst mention of a turnpike 
in the town is found in the records of a town meet- 
ing held in 1768, wherein the Highway Committee 



UIBTORY OF REDDrRG. 35 

tire instructed " to lay out ii road from the ^cliool- 
house in Lonetown, so called, east, through Col. 
John Read's land to consort with a highway lately 
laid out from the road that leads from Danbury to 
Fairfield, west, through Andrew Fairchild's land, to 
s'd read's land," and Colonel Read was given liberty 
to keep a gate at the west end by the school-house, 
"he having given land to the town." The same 
year the town offered a bounty of 3s. on every 
"" wile cat" killed, and of 2s. for every grown fox, 
and Is. for every young fox. A meeting held Sep- 
tember 20th, 1768, appointed a committee to act with 
a committee of the Superior Conrt to lay out a high- 
Avay in Redding from west to east, in rear of the 
long lots. This will be recognized as the road lead- 
ing from Boston District to Hopewell, though por- 
tions of it must have been in use long ere this. In 
the records of a meeting held October 6th, 1768, we 
iind a striking example of the towering ambition 
of the tovv'u fathers : this meeting appointed a com- 
mittee to "present a memorial to the General As- 
sembly, praying that Redding be made a County 
town:' December 26th, 1768, the selectmen were in- 
structed to " set the districts for the law books be- 
longing to this town, and to enter the names of 
those persons in each district that hath a right by 
law to said books, in said books." 

Several highways were laid out during this year, 
and the next : one across Sturgis' long lot, beginning 
at the upright highway above Ebenezer Andrus' 
barn, " to run southerly slanting down in some suit- 
able way until it comes to the cross highway South- 
easterly from said barn." The county road from 



36 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

Danbiny to Fairfield, originally laid out six rods 
wide, was reduced to four rods, and Stephen Mead, 
Gurdon Merchant, and Lemuel Sanford were ap- 
pointed a committee " to lay out the County road, 
four rods wide, exchanging where it shall be thought 
necessary, and all at the Proprietor's cost." A 
highway was also laid out from Samuel Smith's, 
southerly to the bridge below Daniel Perry's grist- 
mill. 

The following interesting entry appears in the 
i-ecords of a meeting held March 6th, 1771 : '' Voted 
and agreed, that whereas a Plan hath been proposed 
of moving to the General Assembly in May next for 
the erecting a new county, to consist of the towns of 
Danbury, Newtown, Ridgefield, Redding, and New 
Fairfield, we are willing and desirous that said towns 
shall be erected a county, and that we will assist 
them to endeavor to have said county established. ' ' 
The committee appointed for this purpose were 
David Lyon, Gershom Morehouse, and James 
Rogers. 

In October, 1773, the General Assembly passed a 
resolution, " to assert, and in some proper way sup- 
port their claim to those lands contained within the 
limits and bounds of the charter of this Colony 
westward of the Province of New York" — an act 
strongly disapproved by the people at large. 

Town meetings were called to protest against it, 
and a convention comj^rising delegates from twenty- 
three towns met in Middletown, and adopted a peti- 
tion and remonstrance to the General Assembly 
against the proposed action. 

Redding's attitude in the matter is shown by the 



HISTORY OF REDDING 



ri 



following extract from the doings of a town meeting 
held March 14th, 1774 : " Whereas it is the opinion 
of many of the freemen and other inhabitants of this 
Colony (and of this meeting in particular) that if ye 
abovesaid Resolve be carried into execution it will 
inevitably involve the inhabitants of Connecticut 
in a long, expensive, and fruitless Litigation with 
Mr. Penn, therefore this meeting appoints and dele- 
gates Messrs. William Hawley and Peter Fairchild 
to attend a meeting to be held at Middletown on the 
last Wednesday of Instant March, to concert some 
Proper Methods in order to put a stop to so disa- 
greeable a procedure." But the project of the As- 
sembly was never carried into execution : within a 
few months an invading army was hovering about 
its coasts, and the sturdy, beUigerent little Colony 
found other vents for its pugnacious spirit. 

In the Revolutionary War, to which period we are 
now come, Redding played an important part : her 
people were fully alive to the importance and du'e- 
fulness of the conflict, and bore theii' full share of 
the burdens it imposed ; but the town records dur- 
ing this period refer but rarely, and then briefly, to 
the great conflict. 

The hrst action of the town in regard to the war 
is found in the records of a town meeting held 
April 2d, 1777, when a committee consisting of Messrs 
William Hawley, Zalmon Read, Thaddeus Benedict. 
David Jackson, Gershom Morehouse, Stephen 
Betts, Jr., WiUiam Heron, and Daniel Mallory was 
appointed " to hire a number of Soldiers to serve in 
the Continental army." It was also voted that the 
".sum or sums the said Committee promise to, or do 



38 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

pay, to tliose soldiers that do enlist themselves as 
soldiers to serve in said army, as a bounty over and 
above what the Government bounty is, shall be paid 
by way of town rates, and the Selectmen are ordered 
and desired to make a rate to collect the money. ' ' In 
the records of the same meeting is the following sig- 
nificant entry : ' ' Hezekiah Sanf ord, Seth Sanf ord, 
Daniel Mallory, S. Samuel Smith, William Hawley, 
Stephen Betts Jr. Jonathan Couch, Stephen Gold, 
and Hezekiah Eead, are apj'iointed a committee to 
take care of the families of those soldiers that are in 
the service of their country ;" and this also, under 
date of May 5th, 1777: " David Jackson, Seth San- 
ford, Thaddeus Benedict and John Gray are chosen 
Selectmen in addition to, and to sujDply the place of 
Stephen Betts and James Rogers taken prisoners by 
the enemy in their expedition to Danbury." 

The above-named gentlemen were released when 
the British re-embarked at Norwalk, Sejotember 
18tli, 1777, it was voted " that the injunction or re- 
quest from his Excellency the Governor and the 
Council of Safety be complied with, and that the 
Committee procure and get double the articles if 
they can, mentioned in the Governor's said request, 
and that said Committee be i)aid by the town, 
the extra charges that the said articles may cost 
more than they are set at in said request." March 
23, 1778, David Jackson, Zalmon Read, and Eph- 
raim Robbins were appointed a committee to pro- 
vide clothing for the army. May 8th, 1778, Asa- 
hel Fitch appears as committee, ' ' to take care and 
provide as the law directs for Nathan Coley's fam- 
ily." At the same time he, with Capt, Zalmon Read, 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 39 

was appointed a committee to j^rovide " shirts, shoes, 
stocldns and other articles of clothing for the Con- 
tinental soldiers." December 17th, 1778, another 
committee was aj)pointed to care for the families of 
soldiers as follow^s : Nehemiah Hnll for x^athaii 
(yolcy's ; Elijah Burr for Stephen Meeker's ; Eben- 
ezer Couch for Elias Bixby ; I^ehemiah Sherwood 
and John Read for Jeremiah Ryan, and William 
Hawley for Samuel Remong. July 80th, 1779, Mi- 
cayali Starr, Thaddeus Benedict, and Stephen Betts 
were appointed a committee to prepare clothing for 
the soldiers, and a tax of 2s. on the pound was lev- 
ied to pay for the same. Several of the records are 
very annoying from their incompleteness ; the fol- 
lowing for instance of a meeting held September 2d, 
1779: "Voted, to ratify the proceedings of the 
County Convention held Aug. 1 0th, 1779, and to ap- 
point a Committee to carry into effect what was rec- 
ommended in the first resolve of said Convention.'' 
ISTot a w^ord is said as to the object of the Conven- 
tion, nor is any report of its proceedings given. 
From other sources, however, we learn that it w^as 
called to devise measures to prevent further depreci- 
ation of the paper currency, and also to consider 
Avhat course should be pursued in dealing with the 
Tories among them. 

No record of the proceedings of tliis convention, 
interesting and important as it would have been, is 
found. It was held at the dwelling-house of Cap- 
tain Stephen Betts, on Redding Ridge. January 
23rl, 1780, the town voted to appoinc a committee 
of nine " to i^rocure and hire nine soldiers to enlist 
into the Connecticut Line in the Continental army, 



40 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

for tlie t:own of Recldin<;\ ' ' Tliis committee consisted 
of Steplien Betts, Ezelviel Sanford, David Jaclvson, 
Nathaniel Barlow — brother of the poet — Asaliel 
Fitch, Ilezekiah Read, Eli jali Burr,Ephraim Robbins, 
and Jlezekiali Sanford. The committee were also in- 
structed " to use their utmost diligence to hire nine 
able bodied efficient men to enlist as aforesaid, dur- 
ing the war or for three years, or six mouths, and 
that tliey enlist them at such sum or sums of money 
in any price, or such quantity of provisions of any 
kind as they shall judge reasonable and just." Six 
months later, June 26th, they voted to instruct their 
committee to give to each soldier they enlist for six 
months, ten bnshels of wheat per month or the 
value in hard money when j^aid, besides they shall 
receive the bounty the state offers, but the town 
shall receive their wages." The same offer Avas made 
to the drafted men. This course was probably 
taken in the belief that the town could more readily 
collect the wages of the soldiers than they could 
themselves. 

November 20th, same year, it was voted, " that 
the town will lay a tax on provisions to snpply their 
quota of provisions for the Connecticut Line in the 
Continental Army, and that a rate bill l)e made ap- 
portioning to each individual his proportion of each 
kind of provision to be raised, viz. Hour, beef, and 
pork, according to his list for the year 1779. George 
Perry was appointed Receiver of the flonr collected 
by the town, and sworn to a faithful discharge of his 
trust. Russell Bartlett was ax)pointed Receiver of 
pork and beef, and was also svvi)rn. At the same 
meeting a committee was appointed " to repair to 



HISTORY OF RED BIN O. 41 

the cami) and ascertain the number of soldiers of the 
tOAvn now in camp." This order was several times 
repeated, but none of the reports of the committees 
are preserved. The following significant entry ap- 
pears in the records of a meeting held February 5th, 
1781 : " Voted not to abate assessments for purposes 
aforesaid {I.e. tax, on provisions) on Enos Lee, James 
Morgan, Hezeldah Piatt, Daniel Lyon, Abigail 
Lyon, Sarah Phinney, David Knapp, James Gray, 
Abigail Morehouse, Ezekiel Hill, Andrew Fairchild, 
and Sarah Burr, who have each of them a son or 
sons, or a son or sons in law gone over to the ene- 
mies of the United States." At this meeting several 
who had refused to pay the tax levied for hiring sol- 
diers were assessed double rates. March 28th, 1781, 
Captain Gershom Morehouse and Lieutenant Xehe- 
miali Hull were apxDointed a committee "to collect 
the tents belonging to this town" — probably those 
furnished for the winter encampment of the troops ; 
at the same time a committee was apj)ointed "to 
vindicate our claims to the Connecticut Soldiers." 
April 16, 1781, it was voted "to divide the j^eople 
into eight classes according to their several lists in 
order to raise seven soldiers, and one Light Horse- 
man to serve for one year as coast guards." It Avas 
voted "that the sixth class (for x>i'ocuring men to 
serve in the guards at Horse Neck till ye first of 
March next) shall procure a light horseman and 
liorse, and that the town shall ]3ay said class all it 
shall cost them more to i^rocure a man and horse, 
than it shall cost the other seven classes on a 
medium." 

July 5th, same year, a tax of three pence on the 



4) lIISrORY OF REDDJNG. 

pound was laid " to pay last year's six montlis 
men, to be paid in Silver, or Gold, or wheat at six 
shillings a bushel, and to be collected and paid to 
the sele(;tmen before the 10th of July Inst." 

The next fall, October 30th, 1781, George Perry 
was chosen " Receiver of Grain and flour on the half 
(U'own Tax, Benjamin Meeker and Isaac Meeker to 
receive the grain and flour on the two sixths tax, 
and William Hawley Esq. to receive the Beef and 
Pork on said tax, and to provide casks and salt said 
provisions as the law directs." 

Tlie last entry referring to the war appears August 
lltli, 1783, some nine months after the Provisional 
Articles of Peace had been signed at Paris. It is as 
follows : '• Voted that the select men of this town be 
desu'ed to move out of this town all those persons 
that have been over and joined the enemy, and have 
returned into this town, and that they pursue the 
business as fast as thej^ conveniently can according 
to law." The selectmen on whom this task devolved 
were, Seth Sanford, James Rogers, Stephen Betts, 
Hezekiah Sanford, and John Gray. 

Several items that next follow are imi^ortant as 
denoting the progress of events. December 18th, 
1781 : " A'oted, that the select men be instructed to 
petition the General Assembly to annex this town 
to Danbury Probate District," and the road com- 
mittee was instructed to sell the highway from 
Nobb's Crook to Captain Grays, and also the " up- 
right highway" west of Micayah Starr's, from 
Nathan Rumsey's to the rear of the long lots. 

August 9, 1782, the town appointed delegates to 
a County Convention held in Greenfield " to inquire 



IirSTORT OF REDDING. 43 

into the progress of illicit trade :" also a Committee 
of Inspection to assist the informing officers in put- 
ting the laws into execution. 

August 11th, 178B : It was voted " that the town 
will set up a singing school," and a tax of one penny 
on the pound was laid to pay the singing master. 

March 13th, 1797: "Voted not to admit Small 
Pox by innoculation ; voted to admit Small Pox by 
innoculation next fall. ' ' 

December 14th, 1791, a committee was appointed to 
apply to the proprietors of the mile of commons for 
a title to the land in Redding left by said proprie- 
tors for a parade." (This " j)arade," familiar to all old 
inhabitants of Redding, was in the large held ad- 
joining the Congregational parsonage now owned 
by ]\Ir. Joseph Squires ; it was the scene of many 
militia trainings in later days.) 

December 19th, 1792 : " Voted to reduce the 
highway from D anbury to l^orwalk to four rods 
wide, and to sell two rods." In 1795 : " Voted that 
the selectmen prosecute those persons that cut tim- 
ber on the highways." 

The first town-house was built early in 1798. It 
stood nearly in the centre of the common, a few 
yards west of the present building. 

From the plan submitted December 27th. 1797, by 
the building committee, we learn that it was " 36 feet 
in length, and 30 feet wide, with 12 foot posts, cov- 
ered with long cedar shingles, the sides with pine." 
There was a chimney in each end, and fifteen win- 
dows with twenty lights in each. Peter Sanford, 
Ezekiel Sanford, Samuel Jarv-is, Aaron Sanford, An- 
drew L. Hill, and Simon Munger were appointed 



44 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

" to receive proposals and contract for Iniilding the 
aforesaid Town House/' Tlie builder was Daniel 
Perry. In 1807 there was a movement to petition 
the General Assembly, " that Redding be made the 
shire town of Fairfield County." In 1809 it was 
voted unanimously," That we will prefer a petition 
to the Congress of the United States for the estab- 
lishment of a Post Poad through this town," and 
William Heron, Lemuel Sanford, and Billy Com- 
stock were appointed to draft the petition. This 
was successful, and the first post-office in the town 
was shortly after established. It was kept in the 
dwelling-house of Billy Comstock, who was the first 
postmaster ; his house stood where Mr. Dimon 
Finch now lives, at the fork of the Banbury road, 
and that leading to Pedding Centre, via Nobb's 
Crook. There are old people in town who remem- 
ber this first post-office, and the excitement attend- 
ant upon the arrival of the weekly mail, carried by 
the great lumbering Danbury stage, which, with its 
four horses, its red-faced driver, and crowd of 
dusty, sweltering passengers, was the great tri- week- 
ly event of the villages through which it passed. 

There is evidence that in early times the town exer- 
cised considerable influence in public affairs. In l;he 
Farmef s Journal (Danbury) for April 8th, 1793, 
appears a circular letter " sent by a committee ap- 
pointed to correspond with the different towns in 
the county of Fairfield," from Reading, as follows : 

" KEADif o, Apr. 2, 1793. 

" Gentlemen : AYe are, by the inhabitants of this 
town, in a town meeting legally warned for that 
purpose, appointed a committee to correspond with 



HISTORY OP liEDDING. 45 

the other towns in Fairfield County respecting the 
list of persons entered on the records of Congress, a 
number of whom this towm apx)reliend are really 
undeserving. We are ordered to ask of you to 
adopt a similar mode of appointing a committee to 
correspond accordingly, and if by due enquiry any 
person, or persons shall be found to be put on the 
])ension list, who are undeserving, to adopt j^roper 
means for redress at a proper board. 
Signed : 

TiiADDEUs Benedict, 
William Heron, 
Lemuel Sanford, 
S. Samuel S.mitii, 
James Rogers. 
To the Selectmen of 

And in the Farmer'' s Chronicle (Danbury) for 
January 6th, 1794 : 

" At a Town Meeting held in Reading, by ad- 
journment, on the 23rd day of December a. d. 1708, 
'' Voted unanimously. That this Town will exert our- 
selves in every legal and constitutional method in 
our power to prevent the sale of the western lands at 
present, and to obtain a repeal of the act of this 
state approx^riating the avails thereof for the suji- 
port of the ministry and schools in this state, as we 
conceive the same to be impolitic. And that a com- 
mittee be appointed to correspond with the other 
towns in this county to effect the purpose aforesaid, 
and that this vote be sent to the committee ap- 
pointed to sell those lands, with our request that 
they will omit to make any contract or sale of them 
till the sitting of the next General Assembly." 

And in the records of a town meeting held Api'il 
20th, 1818 : 

" Voted,' That our Representatives to the General 
Assembly to be liolden at Hartford in May next, be, 



40 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

and hereby are, instructed to use their influence that 
measures be taken preparatory to forming a written 
constitution for the Government of this State. That 
it is the opinion of this meeting, that the State of 
Connecticut is without a written constitution of Civil 
Government, and we believe it very important foi' 
the security of the Civil, and Religious rights, and 
])rivileges of the Citizens, that the powers and 
authorities of the Government should, be distinctly 
deflned." 

The present town-house was erected in 1884. At 
a town meeting held Mardi 3d, 1834, Mr. Thomas 
B. Fanton made a proposition "that he would en- 
gage to build a new To\\ai House, same dimensions 
as the old one, of good materials, covering to be of 
pine, with shutters to the windows, outside of house 
to be painted, and the Avhole inside and out, to be 
tinished in a workman like manner, to be erected 
near the old one, on land belonging to the town, pro- 
vided the town will give him $400, and the old 
house," and engaged to save the town from any ex- 
pense on account of materials provided by the com- 
mittee to rej)air the old town house. This ])ropo- 
sition was accepted, and John R. Hill, Gershom 
Sherwood, and Aaron Burr, 2d, were appointed a 
committee " to superintend building said House." 
There were objections, however, to having the new 
house built on the old site, and a meeting held 
shortly after voted " to relocate the hoiise in the 
building owned by Thaddeus M. Abbott recently oc- 
cupied for a school house.'" 

But other parties objected to this plan, and a third 
meeting w^as held before a site satisfactory tj all 
parties could be agreed on. 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 47 

This meeting voted to locate it " on the Southeast 
corner of Thaddeus M. Abbott's homelot, fronting 
tlie public parade on the South, and on the west 
the Lonetown highway, provided that nothing in 
this vote interferes with the contract made Avitli 
Thomas B. Fanton for building said house, and that 
it be no additional exj^ense to the town." The 
building belonging to Mr. Abbott which stood on 
this site was moved away, and the present town- 
house erected in the summer of 1834. 

From this point until the opening of the civil war 
the records indicate only the usual routine of town 
business, and may be profitably passed over in or- 
der to make room for the valuable and interesting 
Kevolutionary history of the town. 



CHAPTER IV. 

KEVOLUTIONARY JIISTOKY AND INCIDENTS. 

Two years had passed since the opening of the 
War of Independence — years of al ternate victory and 
defeat to the colonists — when a hostile armament of 
twenty -five vessels bearing two thousand men, the 
flower of the British army, appeared off Compo, in 
Westport, on the Connecticut shore. It was the 
26th of April, 1777. A few days before, news had 
come to Lord Howe, commanding in Isew York, 
tliat a magazine of munitions of war had ])een 
formed l)y the rebels in Danbury, and which 
afforded him a pretext for a descent on Connecticut 
— a step which he had long meditated. The region 



48 HISTORY OF REDDINO. 

of country covered by the proposed camjiaign had 
been swejot of its able-bodied men, wlio were in the 
Continental ranks keeping a careful watch on his 
lordship's regulars ; but that there might be no balk 
in the operations, an overwhelming force of two 
thousand picked men was detailed for the expedi- 
tion. For commanders, Howe chose a nondescript 
genius, one Governor Tryon, and two military men 
of ability, General Agnew and Sir William Erskine. 
Tryon had been Governor of New York ; he had the 
further merit of being intimately acquainted with 
Connecticut, and of being consumed with an inveter- 
ate hatred for, and thirst for revenge on, the Yan- 
kees ; he had a special grudge too against Connecti- 
cut, the sturdy little colony having thwarted him in 
a variety of ways. Her dragoons had scattered the 
types of his newspaper organ through the streets of 
jSTew York ; her " Sons of Liberty'' had plotted 
against him even in his own cit}^, and she had 
treated with contempt his proclamatiojis, inviting her 
to return to her allegiance, even printing them in 
her gazettes as specimens of the governor's pleasant 
humor. 

Furthermore, he was well acquainted with the 
country to be traversed. He had been as far inland 
as Litchfield, had probably visited Danbury, and 
had been dined and feted at Norwalk, Fairfield, and 
New Haven. He seems to have acted as guide to 
the expedition while his two advisers attended to its 
military details. The troops disembarked at Compo 
at four in the afternoon, and the same day marched 
to Weston, about eight miles distant, Avhere they en- 
camped for the night. To oppose these troops there 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 40 

was only a militia corps of old men and boys, not 
equal in number to one lialf the invading force. 

Colonel Cook was in command at Danbury with a 
company of unarmed militia. General Silliman at 
Fairfield, General Wooster at Stratford, and Gene- 
ral Arnold at Norwalk could not muster, all told, 
more than eight hundred raAV, undisciplined men. 
Under these circumstances Try on' s expedition can 
only be viewed as a picnic excursion into the country, 
and as such no doubt he regarded it. Cn the morn- 
ing of the 26th his army was early astir, and reached 
Redding Ridge, where the lirst halt was made, 
about the time that the inhabitants had concluded 
their morning meal. What transpired here is thus 
narrated by Mr. Hollister in his admirable " History 
of Connecticut," vol. ii., chap. 12: 

" On the morning of the 26th, at a very seasonable 
hour, Try on arrived at Reading Ridge, where was a 
small hamlet of peaceful inhabitants, almost every 
one of them patriots, and most of them farmers, 
who had crowned the high hill, where they had 
chosen to build their Zion, with a tall, gaunt church, 
which drew to its aisles one day in seven the people 
that dwelt upon the sides of the hills, and in the 
bosom of the valleys, within the range of the sum- 
mons that sounded from its belfry. By way of sat- 
isfying his hunger with a morning lunch, until he 
could provide a more substantial meal, he drew up 
his artillery in front of the weather-beaten edifice 
that had before defied every thing save the grace of 
God, and the supplications of his worshippers, and 
gave it a good round of grape and canister, that 
pierced its sides through, and shattered its small- 
paned windows into fragments. The only spectators 
to this heroic demonstration were a few women and 



50 HISTORY OF REDDIXG. 

little children, some of whom ran away at tlie sight 
of the red-coats, and others faced the invaders with 
a menacing stare." 

Mr. TloUister is in the main a careful and accurate 
historian, but a due regard for the truth of history 
compels us to say that he was misinformed in regard 
to the above facts. The following account is be- 
lieved to be correct, our x^i'int'ipal informant being 
an aged inhabitant of Redding, and a competent 
authority : 

During the halt the main body of the troops re- 
mained under arms on the green in front of the 
church. Tryon, Agnew, and Erskine were invited 
into Esquire Heron's, who lived in the first house 
south of the church, and which is still standing, 
though in a ruinous condition. Here they Avere hos- 
])itably entertained with cake and wine, and with 
many hopeful prognostications of the speedy col- 
lapse of the "rebellion." Across the street from 
the church, in a house a few yards south of the one 
now occupied by Thomas Ryan, lived Lieutenant 
Stephen Betts, a prominent patriot, and at whose 
house it Avill be remembered the county convention 
was held in 1779. A tile of soldiers entered tli(3 
hoirse, seized him, and he was taken with them on 
their march. James Rogers, another prominent 
patriot, and Jeremiah Sanford, a lad of ten years, 
son of Mr. Daniel Sanford, met a like fate. The 
lad, we may remark, was carried to Xew York and 
died in the prison shii3s, June 28th, 1777. Shortly 
before the army resumed its march, a horseman was 
observed spurring rapidly down the Couch's Hill 
road toward them, and approached within musket- 



IIISrOUT OF REDDING. 51 

shot before discovering their presence ; he then 
turned to hy, but was shot, and severely wounded 
in the attempt. He proved to be a messenger from 
Colonel Cook in Danbury, bearing dispatches to 
General Silliman, by name Lambert Lockwood. 
Try on had formerly known him in Norwalk, where 
Lockwood had rendered him a service, and seems to 
have acted on this occasion with some approach to 
magnanimity, as he released him on parole, and 
allowed him to be taken into a house that his 
wounds might be dressed. 

The statement concerning the firing into the 
church is a mistake, and I am assured that the re- 
verse is true. It is said that the church was not mo- 
lested at all (except that a soldier mth a well-di- 
rected ball brought down the gilded weathercock 
from the spire), and the fact that the pastor, the 
Eev. John Beach, as well as several of its most 
prominent members, among them the Squire Heron 
above referred to, were most pronounced loyalists, 
strengthens the assertion. 

The British army, after halting an hour or two in 
the village, resumed its march to Danbury, Avith the 
(^^pture and burning of whicli the reader is no doubt 
acquainted. 

Meanwhile the patriots in Redding anxiously 
waited the approach of the Continental army in 
pursuit. At length it came in view, marching 
wearily, with dusty and disordered ranks, a lit- 
tle army of five hundred men and boys, led by 
Brigadier-General Silliman in person. They had 
marched from Fairfield that day, and were fully 
twenty-eight hours behind the foe, who was then ly- 



0-3 mSTOIlY OF REDDING. 

ing drunken and di.sfirganized at Danbnry. A mns- 
tei'-roll of the little band would liave shown a most 
pathetic exhibition of weakness. There were parts 
of the companies of Colonel Lamb's battalion of 
artillery, Avith three rusty cannon, a field-piece, and 
part of the artillery company of Fairfield, and sixty 
Continentals ; the rest were raAv levies, chiefly old 
men and boys. It was eight o'clock in the evening 
when the troops arrived at Redding Ridge — an even- 
ing as disagreeable as a north-east rain-storm with 
its attendant darkness could make it. Here the 
troops halted an hour for rest and refreshment. At 
the expiration of that time a bngie sounded far 
down the street ; then the tramp of horsemen was 
heard, and presently Major-General Wooster and 
Brigadier- General Arnold, at the head of a squadron 
of cavalry, dashed into the village. 

On hearing that the British were so far ahead, it 
is said that Arnold became so enraged that he could 
scarcely keep his seat, and his terrible oaths fell on 
his auditors' ears like thunder-claps. Wooster at 
once assumed command, and the column moved for- 
ward through the mud as far as Bethel, where it 
halted for the night. At Danbury, but three miles 
distant. Try on' s force was sleeping in di'tmken 
security, and might have been annihilated by a de- 
termined effort, but the command was too much ex- 
hausted for the attempt. 

Tryon the next morning was early astir, being- 
aware that the militia were closing in on him on all 
sides, and commenced a retreat to his ships, taking 
the circuitous route through Ridgefield. On learn- 
ing this move. General Wooster at Bethel divided 



UISTORY OF REDDING. 53 

his command, one detachment under Generals Ar- 
nold and Silliman marching rapidly across the coun- 
try and taking post at Ridge field, w^ile the other, 
commanded by himself, pressed closely on Try on' s 
rear. The succeeding fortunes of the patriots — how 
they met the foe at Ridgefield, how Wooster fell 
gallantly leading on his men, how Arnold per- 
formed prodigies of valor, and how the enemy were 
pursued and harassed until they gained the cover 
of their ships — has become a part of our national 
history, and needs no recounting. 

News that the British had landed at Compo, that 
they were encamped at Weston, and would march 
through Redding the next day, was conveyed to 
this town at an early hour, and occasioned the 
greatest consternation and excitement. 

Money and valuables were hastily secreted in 
wells and other ^^laces of concealment ; horses and 
cattle were driven into the forests, and the inhabi- 
tants along the enemy's probable route held them- 
selves in readiness for instant flight. Herod's emis- 
saries could not have excited livelier emotions of 
terror in the hearts of Judean mothers than did 
Try on' s invasion in the breasts of the mothers of 
Redding. He seems to have warred pre-eminently 
on women and boys. The latter especially he made 
prisoners of, and consigned to the horrible prison- 
ships, either holding them as hostages, or on the 
plea that they " would very soon grow into rebels," 
The women of Redding had heard of this propensity, 
and at his approach gathered all the boys of thir- 
teen and under — the older ones were away under 
arms — and conveyed them to a secluded ^Ihqq near 



54 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

tlie Forge, where they were left under the chai'ge of 
one Gershom Barlow ; here they remained until the 
invader had regained his ships, provisions being- 
cooked and sent in to tliem daily. 

Many other incidents of the invasion are current 
in the town. 

On receiving intelligence of the landing at Compo, 
(Jai)tain Read mustered his company of militia, and 
forthwith marched to intercept the invaders. At a 
place called Conch's Rock, in Weston, they came 
suddenly iipon the entire force of the enemy and 
were taken prisoners. Timothy Parsons, one of the 
militiamen, had a fine musket which he ^particularly 
valued ; this a, grenadier took, and dashed to pieces 
(»n the stones, saying it should waste no more rebel 
bullets. 

Mrs. Thankful Bradley, living in Weston, near the 
Redding line, was milking by the roadside when the 
troops surprised her. An ofRcer told her to remain 
(piiet, and they would not molest her. She followed 
his advice and continued milking while tlie entire 
army filed by. AVith the exception of kidnapping 
the lad Sanford, the British behaved with praise- 
worthy moderation during their march through 
Redding. No buildings were burned, and no such 
enormities committed as marked their descent on 
Fairfield and New Haven two years later. 

After their departure nothing further of a- warlike 
nature occurred in the town, until the encampment 
in Redding in the winter of 1778-9 of General 
Putnam's division of the Continental Army. This 
division comprised General Poor' s brigade of New 
Hampshire troops, the two brigades of Connecticut 
troops, the corps of infantry commanded by Hazen, 



HISTORY OF BEDDING. 55 

and tliat of cavalry by Sheldon. This division 
had been operating along the Hudson during the 
Ml, and as winter approached it was decided that it 
should go into winter quarters at Kedding, as from 
this position it could support the important fort- 
ress of West Point in case of attack, overawe 
the (low Boys and Skinners of Westchester 
County, and cover the country adjacent to the 
Sound"! Accordingly, early in November, General 
Putnam arrived with several of his general officers 
to select sites for the proposed camps. Three were 
marked out : the first in the north-eastern part of 
Lonetown, near the Bethel line, on land now owned 
by Aaron Tread well. The second also in Lonetown, 
about a mile and a half west, on the farm of the late 
Sherlock Todd, a short distance south-west of his 
dw^elling-house. The third camp was in West Red- 
ding, on the ridge lying east of Uriah Griffin's, on 
land now ow^ned by him, and about a quarter of a 
mile north of Redding Station. The sites of all 
three camps may be easily distinguished by the ruins 
of the stone chimneys which formed one side of the 
log huts in which the troops were sheltered. The 
ruins of the first camp are most distinct, nud form 
perhaps one of the best preserved, as well as most 
interesting, relics of the Eevolution within the reach 
of the antiquary. This camp was laid out with ad- 
mirable judgment, at the foot of the rocky bluffs wdiich 
fence in on the west the valley of the Little River. 
The barracks were so disposed as to form an avenue 
nearly a quarter of a mile in length, and several 
yards in width. At the west end of the camp w\as a 
mountain brook, which furnished a plentiful supply 



-00 HISTORY OF REDDINO. 

of water ; near the brook is a lieap of cinders which 
pro]:)ably marks the sjDot where a forge was erected. 
The camp was until recently covered with heavy 
forests, wdiich explains perhaps the secret of its pres- 
ervation. The present owner is clearing up the un- 
derbrush which has overgrown the ruins, rendering 
it easy of access to visitors, and it will in time no 
doubt become a favorite place of resort. Only a few 
lieaps of stone mark the site of the second camp, 
whicli was also laid out on the southerly slope of a 
hill, with a stream of running water at its base. 
The same may be said of the camp at Long Ridge, 

As to the exact location of Putnam's headquarters 
at this time, authorities differ, but all agree in jilac- 
ing it on Umpawaug Hill. Mr. Barber, in his " His- 
torical Collections," says it was the old house that 
stood until recently on the corner of the road lead- 
ing down to Sanford's Station, a short distance 
north of Andrew Perry's present residence. Mr. 
Lossing, in his "Field Book of the Revolution," 
makes the same statement ; but I am informed by 
an aged resident, whose father was an officer in the 
Revolutionary army, and visited General Putnam at 
his headquarters, that they were in an old house 
that then stood between the residence of the late 
Burr Meeker and that now occupied by Mr. Brady, 
and that the first-named was his guard-house. The 
question is one of little importance perhaps, except 
to those who demand the utmost possible accuracy 
in the statement of fact. 

Some of the officers were quartered in the house 
now occupied by Seth Todd, then owned by Samuel 
Gould : others in a house that stood on the site of 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 57 

the one recently occupied by Sherlock Todd. Gen- 
eral Parson's headquarters were on Redding Ridge. 

While the army lay at Redding several events of 
importance occurred, which are worthy of narrating 
with some degree of particularity. The troops went 
into winter quarters this year in no pleasant humor, 
and almost in the spirit of insubordination. This 
was peculiarly the case with the Connecticut troops. 
They had endured privations that many men would 
have sunk under — the horrors of battle, the weari- 
ness of the march, cold, hunger, and nal^edness. 
What was worse, they had been paid in the depreci- 
ated currency of the times, which had scarcely any 
purchasing x:)ower, and their devoted families at 
home were reduced to the lowest extremity of want 
and wretchedness. 

The forced inactivity of the camp gave them time 
to brood over their wrongs, until at length they 
formed the bold resolve of marching to Hartford, 
and presenting their grievances in person to the 
Legislature then sitting. The two brigades were 
under arms for this purpose before news of the re- 
volt \^as brought to Putnam. He, with his usual in- 
trepidity and decision of character, threw himself 
upon his horse and dashed doAvii the road leading 
to his camj)s, never slacking rein until he drew up 
in the presence of the disaffected troops. " My 
brave lads," cried he, " whither are you going ? Do 
you intend to desert your officers, and to invite the 
enemy to follow you into the country ? Whose 
cause have you been fighting and suffering so long- 
in — is it not your own '\ Have you no property, no 
parents, wives, or children ? You have behaved like 



58 IIISTOET OF REDDING. 

men so far — all the world is full of yonr praises, and 
posterity will stand astonished at your deeds ; bat 
not if yon spoil all at last. Don' t you consider how 
much the country is distressed by the war, and tliat 
your officers have not been any better paid than 
yourselves 'I But we all exj)ect better times, and 
that the country will do us ample justice. Let us 
all stand by one another then, and fight it out liive 
bra.ve soldiers. Think what a shame it would be for 
Connecticut men to run away from their officers." 
When he had finished this stirring speech, he 
directed the acting major of brigades to giv^e the 
word for them to shoulder, marcli to tlieir regimen- 
tal i^arades, and lodge arms, which was done : one 
soldier only, a ringleader in the alfair, was con- 
fined in the guard-house, from which he attempted 
to escape, but was shot dead by the sentinel on duty 
— himself one of the mutineers. Thus ended the 
affair, and no further troul)le was experienced with 
the Connecticut trooj^s. 

Nothing had so much annoyed Putnam and his 
officers during the campaign of the preceding sum- 
mer on the Hudson than the desertions which had 
thinned his ranks, and the Tory spies, who fre- 
quented his camps, under every variety of j^retext, 
and forthwith conveyed the information thus gath- 
ered to the enemy. To put a stop to this it had }:)een 
<letermined that the next offender of either sort cap- 
tured should suffer death as an example, and ac- 
cording to the usages of war. The time for putting 
this determination into execution soon arrived. One 
day some scouts from Putnanrs outposts in West- 
chester County captured a man lurking ^vithin their 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 59 

lines, and as lie could give no satisfactory account 
of himself he was at once haled over the borders, 
nnd into the presence of the conima.nder-in-chief . In 
answer to his queries, the prisoner said that his name 
was Jones, that he was a Welshman by birth, and 
had settled in Ridgefield a few years before the war 
commenced : that he had never faltered in his al- 
legiance to the king, and that at the outbreak of hos- 
tilities he had tied to the British army, and had been 
made a butcher in the camp ; a few w^eeks before, 
he had been sent into Westchester County to buy 
beeves for the army, and had been cai^tured as above 
narrated. He was remanded to the guard-house 
and a court-martial at once ordered for his trial. 
The result is to be found in the following document 
found among the papers of the late Lieutenant Sam- 
uel Richards, paymaster in Colonel Wylly's regi- 
ment : "'• 

' ' Feb. 4, 1779. Was tried at a General Court Mar- 
tial Edward Jones for Going to and serving the en- 
emy, and coming out as a spy — found guilty of each 
and every charge Exhibited against him, and accord- 
ing to Law and the Usages of Nations was sen- 
tenced to suffer Death. 

" The General approves the sentence and orders it 
to be put in Execution between the hours of ten and 
eleven a.m. by hanging him bv the neck till he be 
Dead." 

Two days after another court-martial was held for 
a similar offence, as the following proves : 

* INfauy other papers from the Richards Collection, both interest- 
iai;- and valuable, will be found in this work. The originals are in the 
possession of Hon. D. B. Booth, of Dunbury, who has kindly al- 
lowed me to copy them. 



60 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

" Feb. G, 1779. At a Gen'l Court Martial was tried 
John [Smith of the 1st Connecticut Regiment for de- 
sertion and attempting to go to the Enemy, found 
guilty, and farther persisting in saying that he will 
go to the Enemy if ever he has an opportunity, Sen- 
tenced to be shot to death, and orders that it be put 
in Execution between the hours of ten and twelve 

A.M." 

General Putnam having two prisoners under sen- 
tence of death determined to execute them both at 
once, or as he exj)ressed it, " make a double job of 
it," and at the same time make the spectacle as 
terrible and impressive as the circumstances de- 
manded. The lofty hill dominating the valley and 
the camps (known to this day as Gallows Hill) was 
chosen as the scene of the execution, the instru- 
ment of death being erected on its highest pinnacle. 
The details of the execution, for reasons which will 
appear, I prefer to give in the words of tlie three 
different historians who have chronicled it. Mr. 
Barber, in his "Historical Collections of Connecti- 
cut," p. 399, says : 

"The scene which took place at the execution 
of these men is described as shocking and bloody. 
The man on whom the duty of hangman devolved 
left the camp, and on the day of execution could 
not be found. A couple of boys ahout the age 
of twelve years were ordered by General Put- 
nam to perform the duties of the absconding hang- 
man. The gallows w^as about twenty feet from the 
ground. Jones was compelled to ascend the lad- 
der, and the rope around his neck was attached to 
the cross-beam. General Putnam then ordeTed Jones 
to jump from the ladder. 'No, General Putnam,' 
said Jones, ' I am innocent of the crime laid to my 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 61 

charge ; I shall not, do it.' Putnam then ordered 
the boys before mentioned to turn the ladder over. 
These "boys were deeply affected by the trying scene ; 
they cried and sobbed loudly, and earnestly en- 
treated to be excused from doing any thing on this 
distressing occasion. Putnam, drawing his sword, 
ordered them forward, and comj^elled them at the 
sword's point to ol)ey his orders. The soldier that 
was shot for desertion was but a youth of sixteen 
or seventeen years of age. Three balls were shot 
through his breast : he fell on his face, but immedi- 
ately turned over on his back ; a soldier then ad- 
vanced, and putting the muzzle of his gun near the 
convulsive body of the youth, discharged its contents 
into his forehead. The body was then taken nj) and 
put into a coffin ; the soldiers had lired their pieces 
so near, that they set the boy's clothes on lire, which 
continued burning. An officer with a drawn sword 
stood by, while every soldier of the three brigades 
who were out on the occasion was ordered to march 
by and look at the mangled remains." 

Mr, Barber says in a foot-note that the above par- 
ticulars were derived from an aged inhabitant of 
Reading, who was present on the occasion, and stood 
but a few feet from Jones when he was executed. 
Mr. Hollister, in his " History of Connecticut," takes 
exception to the above account. In Vol. ii., page 37o, 
of his work, he has the following note : 

"The Rev. Nathaniel Bartlett, who was pastor 
of the Congregational church in Redding for a 
period of hfty years, officiated as chaplain to the 
encampment during the winter, and was present at 
the execution. He interceded with General Put- 
nam to defer the execution of Smith until Wash- 
ington could be consulted — the offender being a 
youth of seventeen years ; but the commander 



62 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

assiired him that a reprieve could not be gianted. 
Mr. Bartlett was an earnest and fearless AVhig, 
and openly talked and preached 'rebellion' — so 
nrnch so, that the Tories, who were numerous in 
the eastern part of the town, threatened to hang him 
if they could catch him. In consequence of these 
threats he often carried a loaded musket with him 
when on his parochial visits. His son and successor 
in the ministry at Redding — the Rev. Jonathan 
Bartlett, now (185o) in his ninety-tirst year — well re- 
members the Revolutionary encampment at Red- 
ding and frequently visited it. He is sure that the 
story in Barber's 'Historical Collections' about 
Putnam's inhumanity at the execution of Smith and 
Jones is incorrect. Though not present himself, he 
has often heard his father relate the incidents of the 
occjision ; and furthermore he once called the atten- 
tion of Colonel Asaliel Salmon (who died in 1848, 
aged ninety-one), who was a sergeant in attendance 
upon the execution, to the statement, and he de- 
clared that nothing of the kind took place." 

Another historian. Rev. Thomas F. Dtivies, in an 
historical sermon delivered at Green's Farms in 1839, 
also takes exception to Mr. Barber's statement. He 
says : 

"Mr. Barber must have been misinformed. 
Reading is my native town, and from my boyhood 
I have heard the history of the proceedings on the 
(occasion referred to, and was much surprised at the 
statements in the ' Historical Collections.' The 
Rev. Mr. Bartlett, whose father was chaplain on that 
occasion, informs me that General Putnam could 
not have been guilty of the acts there charged. 

" That Mr. Barber may have something to substi- 
tute for the narrative to which I object, I give the 
following : 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 03 

"When General Putnam occupied the house of 
which Mr. Barber has given an engraving, a scene 
occurred whicli presents the General in a very amia- 
ble light. A i)oor man with a family needing sup- 
port, and who lived in the neighboring town of 
Kidgeiield, was told by one acquainted with his 
wants, that if he would visit General Putnam^ and 
hold a conversation w4th him, he w^ould on his re- 
turn, and on proof of the fact, give him a bushel of 
wheat. The temptation in that time of scarcity and 
taxes was great, and so also was the fear of intrud- 
ing upon so distinguished an individaial ; but the 
stern necessities of "his condition at length induced 
the poor man to venture. He accordingly loresented 
himself at headquarters, and I'equested the servant 
to solicit for him an interview with the General. 
Putnam promptly summoned the man to his pres- 
ence, directed him to be seated, and listened with 
interest wdiile the man wdth great trepidation gave 
the statement wdiich accounted for the liberty he 
had taken. The General directed the servant to 
bring some wine, conversed for a time very pleas- 
antly with his needy visitor, and then calling for pen 
and ink, w^rote a certificate in wdiich he gives the 
name of the individual, and stated that he had vis- 
ited and conversed with General Putnam, who 
signed it in his official character. Thus furnished 
with the means of giving bread to his family, the 
distressed individual returned to his humble roof ; 
and this anecdote, which I have on the very best 
authority, is proof that Putnam w^as not destitute of 
those kind and gentle affections which are so desira- 
ble an ornament of the most heroic character." 

This diversity of statements has led the writer to 
investigate the matter more thoroughly than he 
would otherwise have done ; and the weight of 
proof seems to be in favor of the correctness of Mr. 
Barber's statement. His version of the affair is 



64 HlSTOnr OF REDDING. 

the one generally prevalent in the town, with the ex- 
ception of Putnam's forcing the boys to become ex- 
ecutioners. Nor is there any thing in the story in- 
consistent with Putnam's known character and tem- 
perament. He had been a man of war from his 
youth, in perils often from wild beasts, the ele- 
ments, the wilderness, and the Indians. 

Long service in the bloody French and Indian 
wars had scarcely taught him amiability. Boldness, 
firmness, promptness, decision — these were the 
chief elements of his character, and at this particidar 
crisis all w^ere needed. There was disaffection and 
insubordination in the army, as has been seen. De- 
sertions were frequent, and spying by the Tories was 
almost openly practised. To put a stop to these 
practices was vitally necessary to the safety of the 
anny ; and as the prisoners had been tried and sen- 
tenced to death by a competent tribunal, it was Put- 
nam's duty to see that the sentence was carried into 
effect. If the execution w^as bunglingly done, the 
fault was with the executioners, and not with the 
General. 

As was to be expected, the citizens of Redding felt 
quite honored by the selection of their toAvn for the 
army's winter quarters, and welcomed heartily the 
dusty battalions as they filed into camp ; but a few 
months' acquaintance opened their eyes to some of 
the w^ays of soldiers, and caused them to speed the 
army in the spring as heartily as they had wel- 
comed it in the autumn. The soldiers argued that 
as they were fighting the country's battles it de- 
volved on the latter to furnish the sinews of war, and 
plundered the neighboring farmers, whether Whig or 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 05 

Tory, with the utmost imi^artiality. To them awelh 
stocked poultry yard or a pen of fat porkers offered 
irresistible inducements. A milch co-w never failed 
of a circle of devoted admirers, while bands of merry 
reavers occasionally stole over the borders into the 
neighboring towns, and harried in under cover of 
night droves of fat cattle, which were killed and 
eaten with as little formality as they Avere taken. 
With the morning would come the owner complain- 
ing of these little peccadilloes, but as he could never 
prove i^ropert}^ nor identify the rogues, they usu- 
ally escaped punishment. After a time, however, 
the w^ary farmers foiled the depredators by herding 
their live-stock over night in the cellars, of their 
houses and in other secure places. 

The ringleader in all these forays was Tom War- 
rui3s, an Indian, grandson of the chief Chickens, 
whose story is given in the earlier pages of this work, 
and one of Putnam's most valued scouts and mes- 
sengers. Tom possessed a great deal of individual- 
ity, and impressed himself on a succeeding genera- 
tion to the extent that numberless anecdotes are re- 
membered and told about him to this day. Some of 
these, illustrating the Indian character, are worthy 
the attention of the grave historian. Tom had a 
w^eakness for liquor, which w^ould have caused his 
expulsion from the camj) had it not been for his ser- 
vices as scout and guide. One day he was seen de- 
plorably drunk, and the officer of the day in disgust 
ordered him to be ridden out of the camp. A stout 
rail was brought, Tom was placed astride of it, four 
men hoisted it upon their shoulders, and the caval- 
cade started. On their way they met General Put- 
6 



06 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

nam with liis aids, making tlie rounds of the camjD. 
"Tom," said the General sternly, "how's this ^ 
Aren't yon asliamed to be seen riding out of camp 
in this way V " Yes," replied Tom, with drunken 
gravity. " Tom is ashamed, vera mooch ashamed, 
to see poor Indian ride and the Gineral he go afoot." 
Tom had a house on the high ridge hack of Captain 
Isaac Hamilton's, now owned by AVilliam Sherwood. 
It was built, it is said, in primitive Indian style, of 
poles set firmly in the ground, then bent and fas- 
tened together at the top. This framework was cov- 
ered with bark, and roofed with reeds and rushes. 
Its furniture consisted of framework bedsteads, with 
bedding of skins, wooden bowls fashioned from ])ej)- 
perage knots, huge wooden spoons, baskets made of 
rushes or long grass, pails of birch bark, and an iron 
pot and skillet begged or borrowed from the settlers. 
His sister Eunice was his housekeeper. Except in 
war he was a worthless, shiftless fellow, and lived 
chiefly by begging ; hunting and trapping were his 
recreations. He would often absent himself from 
his hut for weeks at a time, sleeping in learns or in 
the forest. A huge overhanging rock about a mile 
north of Georgetown often sheltered him on these 
occasions, and is still known as Warrup's Rock. 

Tom's neighbor and landlord before the war was 
Colonel John Read, son of the early settler of that 
name. On one occasion the colonel had a comimny 
of gentlemen from Boston to visit him, and planned 
a grand hunt in their honor. Tom was always master 
of the revels at such times, and piloted the party on 
this occasion. In their rambles through the forests 
they came to a spring, and being thirsty one of the 



HISTORY OF BEDDING. 07 

party lamented that they had left their hunting cups 
behind. Tom at once slipped off his shoe, and fill- 
ing it with water offered it to the guest to drink ; 
wliereux3on Colonel Read reproved him sharply for 
his ill-breeding. Tom drank from the vessel while 
the homily was being delivered, and then replaced 
the shoe, observing with the haughtiness of a king, 
' ' Good enough for Indian, good enough for white 
man too." 

After the war Captain Zalmon Read and Tom 
were near neighbors, and the former had a corn- 
field in dangerous proximity to Tom's cabin ; he 
missed the corn and suspected Tom, and watching, 
not only discovered him to be the thief, but also 
his ingenious plan of procedure. About midnight 
the Indian would come, basket in hand, and seated 
on the top rail of the fence would thus address the 
field: "Lot, can Tom have some corn f "Yes, 
Tom," the lot would reply, "take all you want ;" 
whereupon Tom would fill his basket with ears and 
march off. The next night, as the story goes, the 
captain armed himself with a grievous hickory club 
and lay in wait behind the fence. Presently Tom 
came, repeated his formula, and proceeded to fill his 
basket, but when he returned with it to the fence, it 
w^as occupied by the captain, who proceeded to re- 
peat Tom's formula with a variation. " Lot, can I 
beat Tom r ' " Yes," the lot replied, " beat him all 
he deserves ;" whereupon the fun-loving captain fell 
ujion the culprit and gave him the thorough beating 
which his roguery deserved. 

One more anecdote of Tom must suffice. One day 
he went to a neighbor's hoirse and demanded whis- 
key. No, the neighbor was of the ojiinion that 



08 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

wliiskey was bad for Tom. " Rum, then." " No." 
" (yider." "No, cider was bad too ; food lie might 
have to keep him from starving, but no fire-water." 
Tom ruminated. '' Well," said he at length, " give 
me toast and cider" — a favorite dish in those days — 
and in this way won the desired stimulant. 

Some years after, when age was creeping on, Tom 
and his sister removed to the Indian reservation at 
Schaticook, in Kent, whither his tribe had j)receded 
him, and the time and manner of his death was un- 
known to his white brethren in Redding. 

This is a long digression, pardonable in this con- 
nection only because its subject was one of the brave 
defenders of his country. 

Among the pa^^ers in the " Richards Collection" 
are some that are interesting as detailing little epi- 
sodes of camp life, as well as some that jiossess con- 
siderable historic value. They are as follows : 

" Headquarters, Readikg, May 28, 177!). 

" Daniel Vaughn and Jonath'n Gore of the 8tli 
Connecticut Regt Tryd by a Brigade C. M. 
whereof Lt. Col. Sumner was President, For Steal- 
ing a Cup from Capt. Zalmon Read of Reading. 
The Court are of Opinion the charges against Vaughn 
and Gore are not supported. 

"B. O." 

" Camp, 3nd Hill, Xov. 14, 1778. 

' ' The General having obtained permission of the 
Commander In Chief to be Absent a few days from 
the Division, the Command will devolve upon Brig- 
adier Gen'l Huntington. Gen'l McDougal is happy 
that it falls upon a Gentleman in whose care for and 
attention to the Troops he has the utmost Contidence. 
The Orders will be issued as usual at the Head- 
quarters of the Division." 



HISTORY OF REDDING. ^-^ 

GENEKAL PUTNAM's OKDERS. 

" Readikg, Dec. 18, 1778. 
'' Lieut. Col. Butler of Wylly's Reg. is promoted 
to the couimand of the 2nd Company Battalion and 
is to be obeyed as such. Col. Meigs is appointed 
Inspector to the Division and to do the duty of 
Adjt. General for \hQ same until further Orders- 
Quartermaster Belding of the First Conn. Brigade is 
appointed Quartermaster of the Division and is to do 
that duty until further Orders. David Humphrey 
Esq. late Brigade Major to Gen'l Parsons is ap- 
pointed aide de camp to Gen'l Putnam till further 
Orders." 

"Feb. 13, 1779. 

"The Gen'l Directs that no person be permittijd 
to visit the Prisoners under sentence of Death Un- 
less at their Request as frequent Complaints have 
been made that they are interrupted in their Private 
Devotions by persons who came for no other Pur- 
pose but to Insult them." 

" At a GerCl Court Martial held at Bedford Oct. 8 
1778, By order of Gen. Scott loliereof Lt. Cot. 
Blaisden was President. 

" Elisha Smith a jirivate in Capt. Stoddard's Co. 
2d Regt. Light Dragoons was tryed for Deserting 
to the Enemy last August and Piloting them into 
and against the troops of this State Defrauding the 
publick, by selling his horse and Accouterments in 
a Treasonable Manner to the Enemy and for Menac- 
ing and Insulting his officers while a Prisoner, found 
Guilty, and Sentence Him to Suffer the pains of 
Death— His Excellency the Commander in Chief Ap- 
proves the Sentence and Orders s'd Elisha Smith to 
be Executed next' Monday the 12th Inst, at 11 
O Clock A.M. at or near Bedford as Gen. Scott shall 
Direct." 

No date: "Divine Service Avill be performed to 
morrow at the Church, to begin at 11 O Clock a.m. 



70 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

Those off Duty are to Mardi from Camp so as to be 
at tlie Clmrcli by that time." 

The "Church" was the Congregational at the 
Centre, and the preacher the Rev. iN^athaniel Eart- 
lett. 

" Headquarters, May 27, 1779. 

"Major General Putnam being (about) to take 
command of one of the Wings of the Grand Army, 
before he leaves the Troops who have served under 
him the winter past, thinks it his Duty to Signify 
to them his entire approbation of their Regular and 
Soldier like Conduct, and wishes them (wherever 
they may hai^pen to be out) a Successful and Glo- 
rious Campaign." 

Hazen's command seems to have been the iirst to 
break camp in the sj)ring, as the following proves : 

" Head Quarters, Reading, March, 21, 1775). 

" Col. Hazen's Regt. will march to Springfield in 
3 Divisions by the shortest notice : the first Divis- 
ion will march on Monday next, and the otlier two 
will f(jllow on Thursday and Fiiday next. Weather 
pernutting, and in case the detached parties join the 
Regt. Col. Hazen will take with, him one peice of 
Cannon and a proportionable Number of Artillery 
men." 

April 11th, the following order was issued : 

" Head Quarters, Apr. lltli, 1779. 

" The officers are Requested to lose no time in Pre- 
paring for the field, that they may be ready to leave 
their x»resent Quarters at the Shortest Notice. The 
Q. M. Gen'l — as far as it is in his power will supply 
those with Portmanteaus, Avho have not ])een fur- 
nished before, and those who have or shall be pro- 
vided are on no account to carry chests or Boxes into 
the field. The portmanteaus are given by the pub- 
lick to Supersede those of such Cumbersome articles 



insrORT OF REDDING. '^^ 



in order to contract the Baggage of the A rm> and 
essen the Number of Waggons, which besides saving 
thP FxDen^e is attended witli many obvimis and 
tlSofik^ Military Advantages The^G^nd 
also thiiks it necessary to give e^Pl|?^|, ^^^.'^^^^^ ^ 
time with a View to have the army as little Encum- 
bered as possible in all its movements and to pre- 
vent burthening the pnblic and the farniers more 
imV can be a.Wed. No officer whose Dutydoes 
iTlSilly remiire him to be on horseback- wdl be 

eriS to keep horses with the Arniy-It ought 
toT the pride of an officer to share the fatigues, as 
Wl'as'tlie Dano-ers to which his men are exposed 
onfooL Marchingbytheh-sideshewillleyene^^^^^^^ 
inconvenience and Excite m them a spmt of IDdtience 
!^d perseverance. Inability alone can J^s if y a De- 
viation from this necessary practice, eren. NNasU- 

ntton strongly recommends to the officers to Divest 
tliemselves a? much as possible of Every nng feupe - 
tinous -Taking to the lield only Mdiat is Essential for 
D nhio- and Comfort. Such as have not particular 
Semfs within reach with whom they won d c^oo^e 
t(j confide their Baggage, wdl apply to the Q M 
Gen' 1 who will appoint a place for their Reception 
and furnish Means of Transportation. 

" Reading, May 34, 1779. 

'' Gen Parsons orders the Brigade to be Ready to 
March to Morrow at 6 o Clock a.m. Comple. lor 
Action." 

This brigade seems to have returned to the High- 
lands vici Ridgefield and Bedford, as General Par- 
sons dates his next order at Ridgefield, May 30 : 

" That Col. Wyllys furnish a Sergt. Corp. and 
12 pii^ates to ife posted as a Guard tins Night 
one quarter of a Mile in front of whe^e 1- Regt i 
nuartered on the road leading to Bedfoid ihat 
Col Meigs furnish a Guard of the Same Number 



72 1IIST0E7 OF REDDING. 

and Distance on the road leading to Norwalk. The 
Revielle to be beat to-morrow morning at tiie Dawn 
of Day, the troops to parade at 4 o'clock half a mile 
below the meeting house, on the road leading to 
J^edford, for which place they will march immedi- 
ately after in the same order as this day." 

" Bedford, 3Iay 31st, 177'.). 
"The troops of Gen. Parson's Brigade to have 
tw^o Days , . . per man from Capt. Townsend , . . 
refresh themselves, and l)e ready to m.arch in two 
hours to Parade near the Meeting honse." 

" FisiiKiLL, June 2, 177!). 

" Gen. Parsons orders that Com'sr Sturm deliver 
one gill of Rum per man, and two Days xirovision 
to the troops of his Brigade, this Da y.— The Qr. mas- 
t3r to make return for the same." 

" IId. Quarters, IIiGiirANDS, June 6, 1779. 

" General McDougal Orders a Detachment of loO 
Men Properly Officered from Gen. Parson's and 
Huntington's Brigades to parade at 12 o clock, with 
arms, ammunition, accouterments. Blankets and 
three days Provisions in front of Gen. Hn. Bd." 
(Hunting-ton' s Brigade). 

" ITd. Qr. June 7th, 177!). 

" The Grand Parade in front of Gen. Hn. Bd. 
100 men i^roperly Officered from Hn. Bd. will 2^arade 
for piquet at 3 o'clock for the future. The Relief 
will parade at 8 o'clock in the morning. No person 
will pass the piquet who cannot give a Good Ac'ct. 
of himself." 

" The Signal of Alarm will be three cannon tired 
Distinctly by the Artillery in the front line." 

The following orders show the ronte taken by 
the army in the fall of 1778 from the Highlands to 
Red din. o; : 



HISTORY OF REDDING. To 

" Head Quarters, Fredericksburg, Oct. 16, 1778. 

"Tomorrow being the Anniversary of the Sur- 
render of Gen'l Burgoynes and his Troops to tlie 
Arms of America under the Command of ]\fajor 
Gen'l Gates, it will he Commemorated by the liring 
of thirteen cannon from the Park of Artillery at 12 
o: Clock." 

"Head Quarters, Oct. 22, 1778. 

"Nixon's, Parson's and Huntington's Brigades 
are to march to morrow morning at 7 'o'clock from 
the Line under the command of Major Gen'l Mc- 
Dougall — Orders of March — Gen'l Nixon's Brigade 
leads, Huntington's follows, Parson's brings up the 
Rear, Commanding Officers of Corps will be an- 
swerable for the conduct of their men while on the 
March. Artillery to March in Centre of each Bri- 
gade — the Baggage of Gen'l Officers to March in 
Rear of the Trooj^s, the other Baggage will march 
in the same order. Forage and Commissary Wag- 
gons in the rear of the Whole." 

"New Milford, Xov. 5, 1778. 

"The Honorable, the Continental Congress hav- 
ing on the 12th of October passed a Resolution to 
discourage prophaneness in the Army it is inserted 
in this Division for the information of Officers, and 
Gen. McDougall hopes for their aid and Counte- 
nance in Discouraging and Supx)ressing a Alee so Dis- 
honorable to human Nature, to the commission of 
which, there is no Temptation enough." 

"Camp, Xew Milford, Oct. 26, 1778. 

"His Excellency the Commander in Chief has 
Du'ected the troops to remain here till further or- 
ders—and be in Readiness to March at the shortest 
Notice as Ckcumstances shall require. While the 
Division is Reposed, two days bread will be on store 
Continually, Baked." 



T4 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

Tliese interesting extracts might fitly conclude the 
story of the army's encampment in Redding ; there 
are, however, some entries in the parish records, 
l^roving that amid the horrors of war sly Cupid 
found a chance to inflict his wounds, that are 
worthy of insertion. They are given as entered by 
the Rev. Nathaniel Bartlett : 

" Fel). 7, 1779. I Joined together in marriage 
James Gibbins a soldier in the army and Ann Sul- 
livan." 

" March 18th, 1779. I joined together in marriage 
John Lines, a soldier in the army, and ]\lary Ilen- 
drick." 

" March 80, 1779. I joined in marriage Daniel 
Evarts a soldier, and Mary Rowland." 

"Apr. lo, 1779. I joined in marriage Isaac Olm- 
sted a soldier, and Mary Parsons." 

" Apr. 28, 1779. I joined in marriage Jesse Belk- 
nap an artificer in the army, and Eunice Hall." 

" May 4, 1779. I joined in marriage William 
Little, Steward to Gen. Parsons, and Phebe Mer- 
chant." 

" May 23, 1779. I joined in marriage Giles Gilbert 
an artificer in the army, and Deborah Hall." 

" Mar(^h 9, 1780. I joined in marriage William 
Darrow a soldier, and Ruth Bartram." 

In the month of June, 1781, Count de Rochambeau 
and the Duke de Lauzun marched a column of 
French trooj^s across Connecticut and took post in 
Ridgefield, within suj)porting distance of Washing- 
ton's army on the Hudson. 

They passed through Redding on the marcli, and 
encamped over night, it is said, on the old parade- 
ground. 

Their sup2:)ly-train numbered 810 Vv-agons, most of 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 'O 

them drawn by two yoke of oxen and a liorse. The 
colnmn attracted mnch attention as it moved with 
Hashing arms and soldierly precision over the hills 
and through the valleys on its way to Ridgefield. 
No complete list of the soldiers furnished by 
Redding to the Continental army can be prepared. 
The following names appear on the town list of 
Revolutionary pensioners : Colonel Asahel Salmons, 
Captain Zalmon Read, Captain John Davis, Joel 
Merchant, Ezra Bates, Calvin Jenkins, Ezra Hull, 
Stephen Batterson, Jacob Patchen, and Abraham 
Parsons ; and in the town records those whose 
families were aided w^ere Nathan Coley, Stephen 
Meeker, Elias Bixby, Jeremiah Ryan, and Samuel 
Remong. 



CHAPTER Y. 

THE CONGREGATIONAL CIIURCII, 1729-1879. 

The Congregational church was the first religious 
body organized in the town. Deeply impressed as 
were our Puritan forefathers with the value of relig- 
ion to the soul, they were equally impressed with 
its value to the state, and were careful to rear, side 
by side with their civil structure, the church, in 
which, as they believed, the pure Gospel of Christ 
was preached, and the soundest principles of moral- 
ity inculcated. Proof of their pious care in this re- 
spect is to be found in the history of Redding, as 
in that of almost everv New England town. As 



76 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

early as August, 1729, but three mouths after they 
had wrung a reluctant consent from the mother 
town to assume parish privileges, we find tliem 
providing for the settlement of a minister among 
them in the following manner : 

" At a Society Meeting held in the Society of Red- 
ding, Deacon George Hull chosen Moderator. It was 
voited that s' d Society would give for the settlement 
of a minister in s'd society the sum of seventy 
pounds, and a house, and his wood, and bring it up, 
and the next year eighty pounds, and raise five 
230unds a year till it comes to one hundred pounds a 
year. It was voted, that Edmond Luis, esquire, 
shall decide the matter as to seting the meeting 
hous, it was voited that s'd Mr. Luis should come 
the first week in October to decide the matter afore- 
s'd." 

No minister w^as settled, however, until 1733 ; the 
first church edifice was erected early in 1732. It 
stood a few yards west of the present Methodist 
church, and nearly in the centre of the public square 
or common.* A photograph or rough sketch even, 
of this the first church in Kedding, would be inval- 
uable to men of the present day : we are certain, 
however, that it was a much more elegant and fin- 
ished edifice than was common in the new settle- 
ments. It was two stories high, as we shall see, and 
of quite respectable dimensions. It was also lathed 
and plastered, and furnished with galleries, and win- 
dows of imported glass, but further details are lack- 
ing. All that is to be found in the church records 

* The corner-stone of the old church may still be seen on the com- 
mon, a little south of a line drawn from Deacon Abbott's to the store 
lately occupied by Mr. Mandeville. 



HISTORY OF REDDING. '^'^ 



concerning the building is contained in the follow- 
ing extracts : 

Kovend^er 12th, 1T30.-It was voted " that we will 
Um a meting-hous in said society ^^the wor^ip^ 
God in the Presbyterian way. A oted that the me 
tino-hous shall ])e thirty feet long, twenty eight feet 
'dde and two stories high, voted, that Lemuel ban- 
ford Thomas Williams, and Daniel Lion, (be) chosen 
committee for (building) s'd meting lions 

Feb 23d 1730-1.—" You that are of the mmds 
that ail those persons that do, or l^^reaf ter may iii- 
habit in this parish, which profess themselfs to be 
f the Church of England, shall have free hberty to 
t^i;l^ms meting hous that is now m budding, 
and attend the Publick worship of God there ac- 
cording to the articles of faith agreed yP^i 'l hv 
assembly of Divines at Seabrook, and established bv 
Se Cs of this Government, and be seated m s d 
lions acf^ordins' to their estats. 

X?einber 3d 1732.-" Stephen Burr hnth under- 
taken ^cnrt tones and clay for the underpinning 
the medng hous for 1 lb. 10s. OOd. Daniel Lion hath 
mistaken to underpin the meting hous and tend 
UmsJlliov 2 lbs. 4s. Od. Daniel Lion hath under- 
taken to get the lath and lay them mi for 3 Ibs^ 
OS Od. Stephen Burr and Theophilus Hull are 
chose^ committee to take care of the parsonage 
ZbablY to secure a parsonage for the expected 
preachel^ as it is not likely that one was then budt). 

It was as yet, however, a church without a pastor. 
Uv Elisha Kent had been called in October, 1/30, 
but had declined, as we infer from the silence of the 
records on the subject. A Society meeting held 
Mav 8th, 1732, extended a similar call to the Ke>. 
l^imothy Mix, and deputed Deacon George Hull - to 
go to the association at Stanford to ask advice con- 



78 HISTORY OF REDDING 

cerning the settlement of Mr. Mix ;" but this call, 
lis in the ease of Mr. Kent, seems to have been de- 
clined. At length a unanimous call was made to 
the Rev. Nathaniel Hun, as follows : 

Jan. 31, 1732-3. — "At a society meeting held in 
the parish (of) Reading, George Hull chosen Mode- 
rator for s'd meting, Mr. Nathaniel Hunn by a voit 
nemine contradicente was made chois of for the 
minister of s'd parish, furthermore it was voited at 
s'd meting to settle upon the s'd Mr. Hunn's yearly 
sallery as f ollowetli, that is, for the first year of his 
administration, seventy pounds current money or 
bills of Public Credit in New England, the si-cond 
year, seventy -five pounds, for the third year, eighty 
pounds, for the fourtJi year, eighty five pounds, the 
filth year ninety j)ounds, the sixth year, ninety five 
pounds, the seventh year, a hundred pounds, all in 
c^urrant money as af ores' d, and so on a hundred 
pounds a year during the term of his continuance 
in the ministry in s'd x^arish, and also to give 
the s'd Mr. Hunn the whole and sole priviledge 
of all the parsonage land belonging to s'd parish, 
and to provide him his firewood, during the term 
aboves'd, also to find him a convenient dwelling 
hous for the first five years, also to give the s'd Mr. 
Hunn, a hundred acres of land on or before the day 
of his ordination." 

P'eb. 20th, 1732-3.—" It was voited that the ordina- 
tion of Mr. Hunn shall be on the 21st day of March 
next," and John Read and George Hull were cho- 
sen a committee " to represent the parisli concern- 
ing the ordination of Mr. Hunn." From this point 
we have for a guide the cliurch records in the hand- 
writing of Mr. Hunn, its settled pastor. It is called 
" A Book of Records Wherein is an account, 1st of 
the transactions of the cliurch, 2d of persons rt- 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 70 

ceived to communion, 3rd of persons baptized, 4th 
of marriages, 5tli of deaths, 6th of persons who re- 
new the covenant." 

The Rev. Sidney G. Law, in his Centennial Ser- 
mon, delivered at Redding, July Gth, 1876, thns 
speaks of Mr. Hunn's pastorate : 

" His first record is very brief for so important a 
matter, viz. : ' March 21st, 1733, I was separated to the 
work of the ministry by prayer and fasting, and the 
laying on of the hands of the Presbytery.' The 
next record gives the choice of deacons, viz. : ' At a 
church meeting March 29, 1733, we made choice of 
Steplien Burr for a deacon, and some time aftei' we 
chose Theo. Hull to the same service. . . . ' The 
next records relate to tJie adoption of Tate and 
Brady's version of the Psalms, first for one month, 
and then for the indelinite futnre. The first mem- 
l)ers of the cliurch enumerated by Mr, Hun were as 
follows : Col. John Read and wife, Theophilus Hull 
and wife, George Hull and wife, Peter Burr and 
wife, Daniel Lion and wife, Daniel Bradley and 
wife, Stephen Burr and wife, Ebenezer Hull and 
wife, John Griff en, Nathaniel Sanford, Thomas Fair- 
child, Lemuel Sanford, Benjamin Lion and wife, 
Mary wife of Richard Lion, Isaac Hull, Esther wife 
of Thomas Williams, Esther wife of Benjamin Ham- 
ilton. Thus it appears that the cliurch was organ- 
ized with twenty-six members, including the two 
deacons, al)out the time that Mr. Hun Avas ordained, 
viz., the 21st of March, 1783. Mr. Hunn married 
Ruth, a sister of C(j1. Read." He was pastor of the 
church sixteen years. During this time he received 

* She was a dauijhter of the Hon. .John Read, who settled at Lonc- 
towu in 1714. Both Mr. Law and Mr. Barber are in error in snppos- 
inu; that the originttl ,Tohn Read lived and died in Redding. He re- 
moved to Boston in 1723, and his .son John succeeded to his title, and 
1o the manor at Louetowa. The latter is the one mentioned in these 
records. 



80 HlSTOllY OF REDDING. 

about ninoty-two members into tlie cliurch, the 
Ti\y,st of them by letter of recommendation from 
neighboring churches. He performed thirty-five 
marriages and one hundred and ninety-two bap- 
tisms. He died while on a journey, and was buried 
in Boston in 1740. His widow, Ruth Hunn, died 
in 1700, and was buried near her l)rother. Col. John 
Kead, in the cemetery west of the parsonage." 

Mr. Hunn's administration seems to have been a 
ha]:)X)y ^'^^ prosperous one, and few events of im- 
l)ortance occurred during its continuance. The rec- 
ords are taken up with cases of church discipline, 
^^itll additions to his salary, providing his lirewood, 
and with re23airs to the meeting-house. 

In 1738 it was voted " to finish glassing the met- 
ing hous, and to finish seating the meting lions as is 
begun, and do something to the X3ulj)it." In 1739, 
" voted, that Sergt. Joseph Lee shall get Mr. Hun's 
wood, and have seven pounds for it." " Voted that 
the place for i^utting up warnings for society meet- 
ings be changed from Umpawaug to the mill door." 
In 1740, "-voted to rectifie the meting lions in the 
following articles, viz. to put in new glass where it 
is wanting, and to mend the old. To lay some 
beams in the gallery and double Hoor. To fasten 
the meting hous doors ; to make stairs up the gal- 
lery ; to put a rail on the foreside of the gallery," 
and ''that the place for paiisli meeting shall be at 
the school house, by the meting hous for the 
future." In 1741, "voted, to seat the meting hous 
in the lower i^art with jjlain strong seats." In 
1742, "voted to impower the parish committee to 
agree with a person to beat the drum as a signal to 



HISTORY OF BEDDING. 81 

call tlie people together on the sabbath." Again 
Feb. 15, 1743-4, " It was voted, that the timber and 
boards provided for seating the meeting house, shall 
be improved, to that end for the nse of the Parish." 
These entries though unimportant in themselves give 
us pleasant glimpses of the healthy and active life 
of the church. Mr. Hunn died in the summer or 
fall of 1749, and for the four following years the 
church v/as without a pastor. A call was extended 
to Mr. Solomon Mead in March, 1751, without suc- 
cess, and in November of the same year to the ReA^ 
Izrahiah Wetmore, with a like result. The interim 
was improved by the people, however, in l:)uilding a 
new church, which stood nearly on the site of the 
present edifice. 

The first action in this important matter was taken 
at a Society meeting held Feb. 9,1748, when it was 
put to vote " whether it be necessary to build a new 
meting hous in s'd Parish, " and passed in the af- 
firmative ; whereupon " Left. Joseph Sanford" was 
appointed agent for the Society to prefer a memo- 
rial to the next General Assembly, " to affix the 
place whereon the meeting house should be built." 
The successive stages by which the building grew to 
completion are defined in a very interesting manner 
in the records." Dec. 29th, 1799, " It was voted that 
Deacon Burr and others be a committee to see that 
there is timber got, and sawmill logs for a meeting 
house in this Parish, s'd timber to be 37 ft in width 
and 46 ft in length." Jan. 17th, 1750, the County 
Court in session at Fairfield, on the memorial of 
Redding, api)ointed Thomas Benedict, Esq., and 
Capt. Josiah Starr, of Danbury, and Samuel 
7 



83 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

Olmsted, Esq., of Ridgefield, a committee to affix 
the place whereon the meeting-house should be 
built ; to act with these, the Society appointed a 
committee composed of John Read, Stephen Burr, 
Joseph Sanford and Ephraim Jackson. Jan. 29th, 
175], a committee was appointed '' to agree with 
some persons to build the new meting hous." It 
would appear that ground had not, been broken for 
it as early as April 25th, 1751, for at that date a 
committee was appointed to meet the County Court's 
committee " to lind a place for the meeting house.'' 
It was probably completed and ready for use 
early in tlie summer of 1752, as on the 22d of Jnne 
of that year a call was extended to the lie v. Mr. 
Tammage to be their preacher, and the old meet- 
ing house was sold to Jehu Burr for £34. The 
manner in which this meeting-house was "seated" 
(which did not occur until 17G3) is an interesting 
(iominentary on the manners and customs of the 
day, and has the further merit of novelty, it being- 
doubtful if another record can be found in K'ew 
England detailing so minutely the method of assign- 
ing pews in the early Puritan churches. AVe copy 
from the records of a Society meeting held at 
Widow Sanford' s, June 23d, 1763 : 

"Put to vote whether the meeting house of s"d 
society shall be seated in ye form following viz. a 
com'te being appointed to Dignify ye pews and other 
seats in s'd Meeting House the llespective members 
of s'd society shall sit in s'd pews and seats accord- 
ing to their Rank and Degree to be computed by 
their several lists and age, viz. upon ye two last 
years lists, and to allow three pound per year to be 
added to a person's List for his advancement in a 



HISTORY OF BEDDING. 83 

seat, and all at ye discresion of s'd com'te who shall 
be appointed to Dignify s'd pews and seats, and to 
inspect the Respective lists and ages of s'd mem- 
bers." 

The committee appointed was Joseph Sanford, 
Ebenezer Couch, and Stephen Burr ; but Messrs. San- 
ford and Burr declining to act, Ephraim Jackson 
and Joseph Banks were chosen in their place."' 
This committee was unable to settle the question 
satisfactorily, and a meeting was held August 11th, 
1763, at which the following action was taken : 

"It was put to vote whether the Dignity of ye 
pews and seats in ye meeting house should be iii 
the following manner viz. ye pew adjoining yo pulpit 
stairs first in Dignity : ye Pew adjoining ye grait 
doors, west side, second in Dignity : the fore seat 
third in Dignity, the second pew west of ye pulpit, 
fourth, the second seat, fifth : the second pew north 
from the west door, sixth : the fifth pew north of ye 
west door seventh : the third pew north of the west 
door, eighth : the second pew west of ye grait doors 
ninth : the first pew south of ye west door, tenth : 
the third seat, elev-enth : the second pew south of 
the west door twelfth : the fourth seat, thirteentli 
the front seat in ye gallery, fourteenth : the fore 
seat on ye side of the gallery, fifteenth : the pews 
and seats upon ye east end of ye meeting house of 
Equal Dignity with those upon the west side in the 
same manner and order as they are above men- 
tioned. Passed in the negative." 

Three months later another meeting was called, 
and adopted the following plan : 

" The respective members of the society shall sit 
in ye pews and seats of the meeting house of s'd 
Society according to their rank or degree, to be com- 



84 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

piited hj their resx)ective lists and ages, viz. upon 
the lists given in upon the years 1751 and 1761 and 
1762, and to allow three pounds per year to be 
added to a person's list f(jr his advancement in a seat 
or i)e\v the Respective lists and ages of s'd members 
are to be inspected, also to give the committee 
chosen at this meeting power to seat those that are 
new comers, and have not . . in s'd society, to seat 
them at s'd committee's discresion. 

" Likewise to seat ye Widows in s'd Society at the 
best of ye Committee's judgment, which method of 
seating s'd meeting house shall continue until s'd 
Society at their meeting shall order otherwise. 

" Also voted that s'd com'te shall seat those women 
whose husbands belong to the Church of England at 
their discresion. ' ' 

The Rev. Nathaniel Bartlett, the second pastor of 
the church, was ordained May 23d, 1753, the next 
year after the church was built. From the record 
in his own handwriting, we learn that the ministers 
who assisted at his ordination were as follows : 

" The Rev. Mr. White of Danbury made the first 
prayer. The Rev. Mr. Todd of East Guilford 
preached the sermon. Rev. Mr. Kent made the 
ordaining prayer. Rev. Mr. Mills of Ripston gave 
the charge. Rev. Mr. Judson, of Newtown gave the 
light hand of fellowship, and Rev. Mr. IngersoU of 
Ridgefield made the concluding prayer." 

Mr. Bartlett came to Redding when a young man 
fresh from his collegiate studies, and continued pas- 
tor of the church over which he was ordained for 
fifty -seven years — the longest jDastorate, it is said, 
known to the New England churches. He is de- 
scribed as a gentleman of the old school, kind and 
considerate, of an equable temper, a just man, a fine 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 0'> 

scholar, and an eloquent preacher. During his term 
of service the crude settlement in the wilderness 
assumed the dignity of a town. The church grew 
from infancy to manhood and the country passed 
from the position of dependent colonies to that of 
free and sovereign states. In the War of Independ- 
ence Mr. Bartlett's sympathies were entirely with 
the patriot cause ; two of his sons entered the army, 
munitions of war were stored in his house, and he 
himself frequently officiated as chaplain during the 
encampment of Putnam's division in the town in the 
winter of 1779. Like many of the New England 
clergymen of that day, he was the teacher of such 
youths in his charge as might desire a liberal educa- 
tion, and among the many whom he thus fitted for 
usefulness was the celebrated poet and statesman, 
Joel Barlow. Mr. Bartlett died Jan. 11, 1810, and 
was buried in the old cemetery west of the church. 
Tlie simple inscription upon his tombstone reads as 
follows : 

The Rev. Nathaniel Bahtlett. 
Dlech January 11, 1810, o.gecl 83 years. 

"I am the resurrectioQ and the life; be thai believelh ia mc. 
though he \Yere dead, yet shall he live."— Jesus Christ. 

During the entire period of Mr. Bartlett's ministry 
we have in the church records but one entry of im- 
portance, and that is of interest as marking the or- 
ganization of the Episcopal Society in the town. 
This entry is as follows : 

" To Seth S. Smith of Redding, in Fairfield Co. 
Greeting, Whereas by law the Episcopal Church m 
said Redding is become a distinct society whereby 



8G HISTORY OF REDDING. 

tlie members of the Presbyterian cliiircli in said Red- 
ding have become the first society in said town. 
These are therefore by anthority of the State of Con- 
necticut to command you to warn and give notice to 
all the members of said first society, and all otliei\s 
who by law are obliged to contribute toward the 
support, and the w^orship, and the ministry with the 
same, to meet at the meeting house in said Redding 
on Monday the 2()th of December at 12 in order to 
choose a moderator and necessary officers. 

"Redding, December 14, 1785." 

The Rev, Jonathan Bartlett, third minister of the 
church, was ordained as colleague with his father, 
Rev. Nathaniel Bartlett, in 1796. The first of the 
(church records in his handwriting is as folloAvs : 

" Feb. 3, 1796. I was separated to the work of the 
ministry and ordained as colleague with my father 
Nathaniel Bartlett over the Congregational church 
in Redding in Gospel order and form. The minis- 
ters who performed the work were as follows viz. 
the Rev, Israhiel Wetmore chosen Moderator, Rob- 
ert Ross made the ordaining prayer, Elisha Rexford 
made the introductory prayer, David Ely preached 
the sermon. Imposition of hands by N. Bartlett, 
R, Ross and Rexford, John Ely gave the right 
hand of fellowship, Samuel AV, Stebbins made the 
concluding j^rayer," 

Of the life and ministry of this most excellent 
man, one who knew him intimately, the Rev. Thomas 
F. Davies, thus wrote : 

'•'In February, 1796, Mr. Bartlett was ordained 
colleague w^ith his father, and after a faitlif ul minis- 
try of thirteen years, greatly esteemed and beloved 
])y his people, was dismissed on account of ill-health, 
and by his own request. His heart was gladdened 



niSTORY OF REDDING. 87 

near the close of his pastoral life by a powerful and 
general revival of religion among the people of his 
charge. After his dismission, and wlien his health 
liad been in a degree restored, he preached from 
time to time to destitute congregations in the vicin- 
ity, and at different periods, as occasion required, to 
the church of which he had been pastor, wdth great 
accejDtation and usefulness. As a j^reacher he was 
eminently distinguished, for he was a man ' miglity 
in the Scri23tures.' Large portions of the Word of 
God, entire epistles even, dwelling in his memory, 
and when an impaired vision rendered the perusal of 
a book difficult or painful, he reviewed in his own 
mind, and often rehearsed to others, portions of the 
Scriptures with comments wiiich rendered his so(5iet\^ 
delightful and instructive. He was a man of native 
eloquence, and great skill in the examination and 
exhibition of the subjects which came before him. 
He was a scribe, ' well instructed in the things of 
the kingdom, a workman that needed not to be 
ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.' 
While aiding other societies, he w^as eminently a ben- 
efactor to the church and society of wdiich he had 
been a pastor, for in addition to the ministerial ser- 
vices gratuitously rendered, he gave in money in his 
various benefactions more to the society than the 
entire amount received from it during the whole 
period of his ministry, and has also left it a legacy 
of three thousand dollars. Useful, honored, and be- 
loved he lived in his native town, inhabiting for 
nearly a century the same residence, for he was born 
in the house in which he died. With a calm and 
humble trust in God, in the entire possession of his 
mental powers, and A\dth little apparent suffering, 
he fell asleep in Jesus." 

Kev. Daniel Crocker, of Bedford, IST. Y., was 
called in August, 1809, as colleague with Rev. Na- 
thaniel Bartlett. He was a good man and a success- 
ful pastor, and served the cliurch fifteen yeai'S, being 



88 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

dismissed in 1824. The Rev. Charles De Witt Tap- 
pen was called, but not settled. The next pastor 
chosen was Mr. "William C. Kniffen in 1825. He 
was dismissed in 1828. The Rev. Burr Baldwin 
was next called, but not settled. The next j'^stor 
was the Rev. William L. Strong, formerly pastor at 
Somers, Tolland Co., Conn. He was installed June 
23d, 1830, and dismissed Feb. 26th, 1835. In Sep- 
tember, 1835, following Mr. Strong' s dismissal, a sub- 
scription was commenced for the erection of the pres- 
ent church edifice, which was built in 1836. The 
expense was not to exceed $2500 with the old meet- 
ing-house. In December of the same year a unani- 
mous call was extended to the Rev. David C. Com- 
stock, but was not accepted at that time. In March, 
1837, Rev. Daniel E. Manton was called, but not set- 
tled. In June of the same year the Rev. Jeremiah 
Miller was called, and was installed July 12th, 1837, 
Mr. Miller was dismissed in 1839. In the following- 
year, 1840, Mr. David C. Comstock was ordained 
and installed pastor of the church. He was dis- 
missed in 1845. After him Daniel D. Frost, after 
I^reaching as stated sui)ply for eighteen months, was 
ordained December 30th, 1845. He continued pas- 
tor ten years, being dismissed October 13th, 1856. In 
1857 the pulpit was supplied by the Rev. Mr. Root. 
In 1858 the Rev. Enoch S. Huntington sup])lied the 
pulpit one year. He presented the communion ser- 
vice to the church, for which he received its thanks. 
In 1859 the church was remodelled and painted, re- 
ceiving the beautiful fresco which still adorns it. In 
1860 Rev. W. D. Ilerrick became pastor, and so con- 
tinued until 1864. After him Rev. E. B. Hunting- 
ton, and also Rev. Mr. Barnum, preached for a short 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 



89 



time. Rev. S. F. Farmer supplied in I860. Rev. 
K. B. Glidden was installed September 12tli, 1866 ; 
resigned December, 1868. In 1869 the Rev. Charles 
Chamberlain became acting pastor. He resigned in 
September, 1871. 

Rev. Sidney Ci. Law, to whom I am indebted for 
the above snmmary of the later history of the chnrch. 
became acting pastor June 1st, 1872, and after a 
prosperous ministry of six years resigned in 1878. 

Rev, ^V. J. Jennings, the present pastor, was in- 
stalled December 17th, 1879. Some statistics of this 
ancient church ready gathered to my hand will 
prove interesting and valuable. The complete list 
of those who have served it as pastors, wdth the date 
of their ordination and dismissal, is as follows : 



MINISTERS. 



Nathaniel Hunn 

Nathaniel Baitlett... 
Jonatlian BartJett. . . . 

Dxniel Crocker 

William C. Kniffen. . 
William L. Strong. . . 

Jeremiah Miller 

David C. Coinstock. . . 

Daniel D. Frost 

Enoch S. Huntington. 

W. D. Herrick 

K. B. Glidden 

Charles Chamberlain. 
Sidney G. Law 



Mar. 21, 17;3;J. . 
May 23, 1753.. 
Feb. 3, 1T9G... 
Oct. 4, 1809 . . . 
Junes, 1825... 
June 23, 1830.. 
July 12,1837.. 
Mar. 4. 1840... 
Dec. 30, 1846. . 

1858 

1800 

Sept. 12, 18GG. 

1869 

Junel, 1872... 



DISMISSED. 



June 7, 1809.. 
Oct. 24, 1824. 
Dec. 17, 1828. 
Feb. 26,1835. 
July 23, 1839. 
April 8, 1845. 
Oct. 15, 1856. 

1859 

18G4 

Dec, 1868 

Sept., 1871... 
June 1, 1878.. 



DIED. 



1749 

Jan. 11, 1810. 
Mar. 22, 1858 . 



DEACONS. 


APPOINTED. 


DEACONS. 


APPOINTED. 


Stephen Burr 


1733 


Lemuel Sanford. . . . 


1808 


Theophilus Hull. . 


1733 


Aaron Read 


1808 


Lemuel Sanford. . 


1740 


Joel Foster 


1820 


Daniel Maliory. . . 


1740 


Lemuel Hawlev. . . . 


1832 


Jos;ej)h Banks 


1776 


Samuel Read 


1832 


Simon Couch 


1776 


Charles D. Smith. . . 


1854 


Lemuel Sanford. . 


1785 


Rufus Meade 


1854 


Stephen Betts. . . . 


1785 


Thaddeus M. Abbott 


1854 



90 HISTORY OF REDDING. 



REVIVALS. 

YEAR. CONVERSIONS. | YEAR. CONVERSIONS- 



1808-9 75 I 1838 80 

182;} 40 18o2 24 

1829 8 1855 12 

1831 20 I 

The j)resent membership of the church is 119. 
Males, 40 ; females, 79. 



CHAPTER VI. 

(MI HIST CnUHCII. 

1722-1879. 

BY REV. ALANSON WELTON. 

The present town of Redding is one of the few 
places in the old Colony of Connecticut where the 
Episcopal ministry is entitled to the distinction of 
having been first on the ground, laying foundations, 
and not building upon those already laid. The 
Church of England \^ as not planted in New England 
Avithout strenuous and bitter opposition from the 
Puritans, who wei-e lirst in the field. By old Eng- 
lish law, indeed, that cliurcli was established in all 
the plantations ; yet it is manifest from the records 
of the colonial legislation of the charter government 
of Connecticut, that previously to 1727, the church 
of which the king was a member was not recognized 
as having a, right to exist. Congregationalism was 
the established religion. " in opposition to which 
there could be no ministry or church administration 
entertained or attended by the inhabitants of any 



mSTOR Y OF BEDDlsn. 01 

,o,vn or plantation, upon penalty of fifty pounds 
0- every breach of tins act;" a«,l every person n 
Ihe colony was obliged to pay taxes for the support 
of this eskblishment. 

In this nncongenial soil the Anglican Church oi 
Connecticut was planted-strange to say not by 
foreion-born missionaries, but by seceders from the 
m nistry of the Congregationalists. The pioneers n 
™is movement were Timothy Cutler, Rector ot ^ale 
Colleoe Daniel Brown, Tutor ; James Wetmore, oi 
No th Haven ; and Samuel .Tolinson, of West Haven 
a former tutor in the college. These gentlemen alter 
a professedly careful and prayerful examination ot 

the subject of church order, disc.phne »-^ -* 
whichresultedinaconvictionthattheLnglishChnuh 

lowed most closely the teaching of the Scriptures 
and the practice of the church of the firs ages, sen 
to the trustees of the college a formal statement of 
their views, and declared for Episcopacy-to the no 
mall surprise and consternation of their colleagues 
" the college and church. The four went to Eng- 
land for Episcopal ordination, where Brown died. 
The three survivors returned in 1732, as missionaries 
of the " Society for the Propag-atiou ot the Gospel 
in Foreign Parts," Johnson only being sent to Con- 
necticut. The ante-Revolutionary history of the 
church at Redding Ridge is mostly to be ound in 
the archives of this Society, as published m the 
" Documentary History of the Protestant Muscopal 
Church in Connecticut," and the Rev. Dr. Beards- 
lev's " History of the Episcopal Church in Connec- 
ticut" -from which sources, mainly, this sketch has 
been compiled. 



92 UISTORY OF REDDING. 

A letter was addressed to the secretary of the 
S. P. G., dated October 19th, 1722, signed by John 
Glover and twelve other heads of families in New- 
town, Thomas AVheeler, of Woodbury, and Moses 
Knapp, of Chestnut Ridge, thanking the Society for 
the services of the Eev. George Pigot, missionary at 
Stratford, and earnestly soliciting the appointment 
of a missionary for themselves at Newtown. 

The next year, 1723, Mr. Pigot was transferred to 
Newport, R. I., and the Rev. Samuel Johnson, his 
successor at Stratford, " accepted all his missionary 
duties in Connecticut." 

In 1727, the Rev. Henry (Janer [pronounce Canner^ 
was sent to Fairfield, of \A'hich town Chestnut Ridge 
was a part. After having named in his report the 
several villages or hamlets in the vicinity of his sta- 
tion, he says : " Besides these, there is a village 
northward from Fairfield about eighteen miles, con- 
taining near twenty families, where there is no min- 
ister at all, of any denomination whatsoever ; the 
name of it is Chestnut Ridge, and where I usually 
preach or lecture once in three weeks." In 1728 he 
says there are four villages " about Fairfield,— Green 
Farms, Greenfield, Poquannuck and Chestnut Ridge, 
three of them about four miles distant, the last 
(ibout sixteen. The same year, the name of Moses 
Knapp appears as a vestryman of the church at 
Fairfield. 

In 1721), "Moses Knap, Nathan Lion, and Daniel 
Crofoot" objected, in a meeting of the [Presbyteri- 
an] " Society of Redding" "against" the " hiering" 
any other than a minister of the Church of England. 
These three names appear again in the list of Mr. 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 93 

Beach's parishioners in 1738. The Rev. Dr. Biir- 
hams \Churc7iman^ s Magazine, 1823] says: "The 
first Chiirclmian in Reading was a Mr. Richard Lyon, 
from Ireland, who died as early as 1735. ' ' He also says 
on the anthority of "an aged member of ilie Clmrcli 
in Reading," that "Messrs. [Richard^] Lyon, 
[Stephen] Morehouse, [Moses] Knapp, [Joshua] 
Hall, [William] Hill, [Daniel] Crofoot, and [Lient. 
Samuel] Fairchild, appear to have composed the 
first Church in Reading." Natliau Lyon died in 
1757, in the fifty-fourth year of his age. Mr. Caner 
reported in 1728 seven families at Chestnut Ridge ; 
the number reminding us of the " House of Wis- 
dom" with its " Seven Pillars," as the first Puritan 
organization at IS'ew Haven was named. 

Mr. Caner was succeeded at Chestnut Ridge, in 
1732, by the Rev. John Beach, a pupil of Johnson in 
Yale College, and afterward Presbyterian minister 
at Newtown for several years, As Mr. Beach was a 
resident of East Redding for about twenty years, and 
pastor of this church full half a centurj^, his history 
is substantially that of the parish, or mission, ovei* 
which he j)resided. His j^astorate was the longest 
of all the ante-Revolutionary clergy. He was born 
in Stratford, October 6th, 1700 ; graduated from Yale 
at the age of twenty one, and licensed to preach 
soon afterwards. He is said to have been selected for 
the Presbyterian pastorate at Newtown as a " popn- 
lar and insinuating young man," well fitted to check 
the growth of Episcopacy, which was there thriving 
under the ministry of Caner and Johnson. Many 
Cliurchmen must have " joined in settling him with 
Presbyterian ordination," for in 1722 they claimed 



94 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

to be a majority of the population, whereas, for some- 
time q/i^er his "settlement," Mr. Johnson ministered 
to only about five families. "From these visits 
. . . frequent and earnest discussions resulted be- 
tween the two teachers, the influence of which was 
soon evident to Mr. Beach's congregation. After 
two or three years of patient studj^ and meditation he 
alarmed his congregation by his frequent use of the 
Lord's Prayer ; and still more by reading whole 
chapters from the Word of God. Next he Tentured 
to condemn a custom, common in their meetings, of 
rising and bowing to the minister, as he came in 
among them, and instead of which he begged them 
to kneel down and worship God. At length [in 
January, 1781], " after he had been a preacher more 
than eight years, he told them from the pulpit that, 
' From a serious and prayerful examination of the 
b5criptures, and of the records of the early ages of 
the ('liurch, and from the universal acknowledgment 
of Episcox:»al government for fifteen hundred years, 
compared with the recent establishment of Presby- 
terian and Congregational discipline,' he was fully 
persuaded of the invalidity of his ordination, and of 
the unscriptural method of organizing and governing 
congregations as by them practised. He therefore, 
' In the face of Almighty God,' had made up his 
mind to ' conform to the Church of England, as be- 
ing Apostolical in her ministry and discipline, ortho- 
dox in her doctrine, and p)i'imitive in her worship.' 
lie affectionately exhorted them to weigh the sub 
ject well ; engaged to provide for the due adminis- 
tration of the sacraments while absent from them, 
and spoke of his intended return from England in 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 95 

lioly orders. So greatly was lie beloved, that a 
large proportion of his people seemed ready to 
acquiesce in his determination."" But the others, in 
evident alarm and consternation at this " threatened 
defection from their ranks," held a town meeting 
" to consnlt" as to " what was possible to be done 
with the E,ev. Mr. John Beach, under present diffi- 
culties ;" " voted to have a [day of] solemn fasting 
;ind prayer ; ... to call in the Ecclesiastical 
Council of Fairfield to direct and do what they shall 
think X)roper, under the . . . difficult circum- 
stances respecting the Rev. Mr. Beach, and the in- 
habitants of the town of N^ewtown— also that the 
first W^ednesday of February [1732] be appointed for 
the fast." 

The council met, and in spite of Mr. Beach's re- 
monstrances proceeded to depose him from the min- 
istry. "From this resulted a x^nnted discussion" 
between him and his deposers, Avhich ultimately 
helped rather than hindered the Church of England. 

Mr. Beach returned from England in Episcopal 
orders, and took charge of the Newtown and Red- 
ding mission in the autumn of 1732. From this pe- 
riod his history and that of his mission may be more 
accurately told in the language of his own letters to 
the Secretary of the S. P. G. 

" Newtowx in Connecticut, August 7lh, 1T;J5. 

" Reverkivd Sir, I think it my duty to acquaint 
the venerable Society with the present state, of my 
parish, although the alteration since my last has not 
l)een very considerable. I have baptized twenty- 
nine children and admitted twenty-five persons more 
to the communion, so that the number . . . 



9G HISTORY OF REDDING. 

now at Newtown, Reading, and tlie places adjacent, 
is ninety-five. I preach freqnently and administer 
the Sacrament at Ridgefiekl . . . about eight- 
een miles distant . . . where there are about 
fourteen or eighteen families of very serious and 
religious people who have a just esteem of the 
(^lurch of England, and are very desirous to 
have the opportunity of worshipping God in that 
way. I have constantly preached, one Sunday at 
Newtown ; and the other at Reading ; and after I 
have preached at Reading in the day-time, I . . . 
preach at Newtown in the evening : and although I 
have not that success I could wish for, yet I do, and 
hope I always slipJl, faithfully endeavour (as far as 
my poor ability will allow,) to promote that good 
work, that the venerable Society sent and main- 
tained for me. I am, Rev. Sir, 

" Your most humble servant, 
" John Beach." 

As a specimen of his mannei' of defending himself 
against j)ersonal attacks we have the following from 
a controversial pamj)hlet, in reply to John Dickin- 
son, of New Jersey, in 1736 : 

"I have evened the scale of my judgement as much 
as possibly I could, and to the best of my knowledge, 
I have not allowed one grain of worldly motive on 
either side. I have supposed myself on the biink 
of eternity, just going into the other world, to give 
up my acccount to my great Judge ; and must I be 
branded for an antichrist or heretic, or apostate, be- 
cause my judgement determines that the Church of 
England' is most agreeable to the Word of God ? I 
can speak in the presence of God, who knows my 
heart better than you do, that I would willingly turn 
Dissenter again, if you, or any man living will show 
me reason for it. But it must be reason (whereby T 
exclude not the Word of (jrod, M^hich is the highest 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 07 

reason.) and not sophistry and calumny, as you have 
hitherto used, that will convince a lover of truth and 
right." 

In 1739 he says : "I have one hundred and 
twenty-three communicants, but they live so far dis- 
tant from each other, that commonly I can adminis- 
ter to no more than about fifty at once, which occa- 
sions my administering it the more frequently ; and, 
though I meet with many discouragements, yet I 
liave this satisfaction, that all my communicants 
(one or two excejDted) do adorn their profession by a 
sober, righteous and godly life." In 1743, some 
three years after Whitefield began his famous " re- 
vival of Puritanism," Mr. Beach says : " My people 
are not at all shaken, but rather confirmed in their 
i:»rinciples by the spirit of enthusiasm that rages 
among the Independents roundabout us ; and many 
of the Dissenters, observing how steadfast our peo- 
ple are . . . while those of their own denomi- 
nation are easily carried away with every kind of 
doctrine, have conceived a much better opinion of 
our Church than they formerly had, and a considera- 
ble number in this colony have lately conformed, and 
several Churches are now building where they have 
no minister. . . . Were there in this country 
Imt one of the Episcopal order, to whom young men 
might apx)ly for ordination, without the expense and 
danger of a voyage to England, many of our towns 
might be supplied which must now remain desti- 
tute." (This letter is dated at ^'Reading, in New 
England," as aU his published reports are, between 
1740 and 1760.) " My people are poor, (he con- 
tinues) and have but few negro slaves, but all they 



08 HISTORY OF JiEDDlXO. 

have, I have, after instruction, baptized, and some 
of them are commnnicants.'' In October of the 
same year he says : "I beg the venerable Society's 
direction in an affair T am just now perplexed with. 
There are about twenty families ... at IN'ew- 
]\Iilford and New-Pairlield, which are about tifteeu 
miles hence. I x^it'ach to them several times a year, 
but seldom on the Lord's day. They frequently 
come to Church at ^cAvtown ; but by reason of the 
distance, they can't attend constantly, and their 
families very seldom, and. when they can't come to 
Church, they meet together in their own town, and 
one of their number reads some part of the common 
prayer and a sermon. They are now l)uilding a 
(^huicli. . . . But the Independents, to suppress 
the design in its infancy', . . . have lateh' prose- 
-cuted and fined them for their meeting to worship 
God iiccording to the common prayer. . . . The 
case .<if these poor people is very hard ; if, on the 
Lord's day, they continue at home, they must be 
punished .: if they meet to worshij) God according to 
file (^liurch of England in the best manner they can, 
the mulct '%% much greater ; and if they go to the 
Indej^endent meethig . . . they must endure 
the mortification of hearing the Church vilified." 

After the death of the Kev. Joshua Iloneyman 
missionary at Newport E. I. in 1750, the church of 
which he had the care, petitioned the Society that 
Mr. Beach might be sent to them, as their minister. 
The i^etition was granted, but Mr. Beach felt con- 
strained, on account of feeble health to decline the 
appointment ; fearing, as he said, that '' the people 
might complain that a wornout man was imposed 
upon them.'' 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 00 

The first chnrcli on Redding Ridge, which was 
built in 1738, and was qnite small, was in 1750 re- 
placed by another on the same site, fifty feet long 
and thirty-six wide, snrmonnted by a tnrret, which, 
in 1797, was replaced by a steeple in which was 
placed the fii^st bell. This church, according to the 
style of the period, was furnished with sqnare, high- 
backed pews, with seats on their four sides ; so that 
some of their occnpants had to sit with their backs 
to the minister. And thongli others doubtless be- 
sides Bishop Jarvis '' could see no necessary con- 
nection between piety and freezing," there was no 
heating apparatus in the ch urches until considerably 
past the beginning of the present century. " Trinity 
Church, IN'ew Haven, had no means of being warmed 
until 1822, and none of the rural churches were sup- 
plied with stoves until a much later period," Many 
persons in the rural districts were in the habit of 
walking several miles, barefooted, to church in sum- 
mer, and probably did not feel the lack of shoes a 
great privation. So common was it for men to go to 
church without their coats, that the first time Bishoj) 
Seabury preached in New Haven, a dissenting hearer 
reported that "he preached in his shirt-sleeves." 
Often the family was mounted, the parents with a 
child in arms to be christened, upon one horse, and 
the older children upon another. Sometimes the 
whole family were clustered together upon the ox- 
cart or *sled, and thus they went up to the house of 
God. 

In 1750, three years after the breaking out of the 
"Old French War," Mr. Beach, writing from 
" Reading, Connecticut, in N. England," says : 



100 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

"My parish is in a flourishing condition, in all re- 
spects, excepting that we have lost some of our 
young men in the army ; more, indeed by sickness 
than by the sword, for this countrymen do not 
l)ear a campaign so well as Europeans." 

Dr. Johnson's jilayful remark to his son that, 
" Mr. Beach had always these seeming inconsisten- 
cies, to be always dying, and yet relishing mundane 
things," would seem to indicate that his friend was 
not really so near death' s-door as he often imagined 
liimself : for example, in 1761, when he says : " My 
painful and weak state of body admonishes me that, 
although this may not be the last time of my writ- 
ing, yet the last cannot be far off ;" and he had sup- 
posed liimself a " worn out man" several years be- 
fore. 

Writing from ''New-Town Oct. 8, 1704," he re- 
ports : ' ' My congregation at Reading has increased 
very little for some years past, by reason that many 
who were wont to attend there, though living at a 
distance of 6, 8, or 10 miles, have lately built [each] 
a small church near them, where they can more 
conveniently meet ; viz., at Danbury, Ridgbury, 
North Fairfield and North Stratford ; which has 
very much retarded the growth of the congregation 
at Reading : which . . . now consists of about 
300 hearers at one time." Under date of April, 
1765, he says : " I am now engaged in a controversy 
with some of the Independent Ministers about those 
absurd doctrines, the sum of which is contained in a 
thesis published by New Haven College last Sej)- 
tember. . . . They expressly deny that there is 
any law of Grace, which promises eternal life upon 



UISTORY OF REDDING. 101 

the condition of faith, repentance and sincere obe- 
dience ; and assert Justification only by the law ot 
innocence and sinless obedience. Though my health 
is small, and my abilities less, I make'lt a rnle never 
to enter into any dispute with them unless they 
bei?in, yet now they have made the assault, and ad- 
vocate such monstrous errors as do subvert the Gos- 
pel I think myself obliged by my ordination vow, 
to guard the people as well as I can against such 
strange doctrines." • 

Again he writes in October of the same year, alter 
the publication of that precursor of Revolution, the 
memorable " Stamp Act," of 1765 : " My parishes 
continue much in the same condition as m my last. 
I have of late, taken pains to warn my people against 
having any concern with seditious tumults with re- 
lation" to the stamp duty enjoined upon us by the 
Lecrislature at home : and I can with truth and pleas- 
ure say, that I cannot discover the least inclination 
towards rebellious conduct in any of the Church 
people." A Year later he says : '-'For some time 
past, I have not been without fear of being abused 
by a lawless set of men who style themselves the 
Sons of Liberty, for no other reason than that of en- 
deavoring to cherish in my people a quiet submis- 
sion to the civil government. . . . It is very re- 
markable, that in part of this Colony, in which 
many missions and Church people abound, there the 
people are vastly more peaceable and ready to ren- 
der obedience to the Government of England ; but 
where there is no mission and few or no Church peo- 
ple, thev are continually caballing, and will spill 
the'last\lrop of blood, rather than submit to the 



102 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

late Act of Parliament.'" In 1707 lie says: "It is 
some satisfaction to me to observe, that in this town 
(Newtown], of late, in our elections, the Church 
people make the major vote, which is the first in- 
stance of this kind in this Colony, if not in all New 
England." Again in 1769 : " There are in these 
two parishes about 2400 souls, of whom, a little 
more than half x^rofess the Church of England. 
Hei^e are about fifty negroes, most of whom after 
proper instruction have been baptized. 
Here are no heathens or infidels. I commonly bap- 
tize about 100 children in one year, among them 
some black children. My actual communicants are 
812. Here are no Papists or Deists." In 1771 he 
writes : "In Reading, my hearers at once are about 
800. There is a meeting of Presbyterians about twx) 
and a half miles from our Church, in which the con- 
gregation is not so large as ours. In a manner, 
all . . . who live near the Church joiu with us ; 
scarce any go b}^ the Church to meeting." "The 
Church, (he says in 1774) stands not in the centre of 
the town, but on one side, to accommodate the 
Church people, who live near, though out of the 
bounds of Reading." 

One of the most interesting of his reports is that 
(^f May 5th, 1772 : 

" It is now forty years since I have had the ad- 
vantage of being the venerable Society's Missionary 
in this i)lace. . . . Every Sunday I have per- 
formed divine service, and preached twice, at New 
Town and Reading alternately ; and in these forty 
years I have lost only two Sundays, through sick- 
ness ; altliou(>:h in all that time I have been afflicted 



niSTORY OF REDDING. 103 

witli a constant cliolic wliicli lias not allowed me one 
(1 a y ' s ease, or freedom from pain. The distance be- 
tween the Clmrcli ... is between eight and 
nine miles, and no very good road ; yet I have never 
failed ... to attend at each place according to 
cnstom, throngh the badness of the weather, but 
have rode it in the severest rains and snow storms, 
even when there has been no track, and my horse 
near sinking down in the snow-])anks ; which has 
iiad this good effect on my parishioners, that they 
are ashamed to stay from Church on account of bad 
weather. ... I have performed divine service 
in many towns where the Common Prayer had never 
been heard, nor the Holy Scriptures read in public, 
and where now are flourishing congregations of the 
Church of England ; and in some places where there 
never had ])een any public worship at all, nor ser- 
mon preached by any teacher, of any denomination. 
'' In my travelling to j) reach the (T0sx)el, once was 
my life remarkably preserved, in passing a deep and 
rapid river. The retrospect of my fatigues, lying 
on straw &c, gives me pleasure ; while I flatter 
myself that my labor has not been quite in vain ; 
for the Church of England peojile are increased more 
than 20 to 1, and what is infinitely more pleasing, 
many of them are remarkable for piety and virtue ; 
and the Independents here are more knowing in 
matters of religion, than they who live at a distance 
from the Church. We live in harmony and j^eace 
with each other, and the rising generation of Inde- 
pendents seem to be entirely free from every pique 
and prejudice against the Church." In a x^revious 
report he said: " They who set up the worshij) of 
God according to our Liturgy, at Jjanesboro', at 
Xobletown and Arlington, proceed chiefly from my 
i:)arislies. But notwithstanding these frequent emi- 
grations, my congregations increase." 

His last report, which was made about six months 



104 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

befoi'e his death, is dated October 31st, 1781, and is 
as follows : 

"It is a long time since I have done my dnty in 
writing' to tlie venerable Society, not owing to my 
carelessness, but to the impossibility of conveyance 
from here. And now I do it sparingly. A narra- 
tive of my troubles I dare not now give. My two 
congregations are growing : that at Keading being 
commonly about 300 and at New Town about 600. 

1 baptized about 130 children in one year, and lately 

2 adults. New To^^•n and the Church of England, 
part of Reading are, I believe, the only parts of New 
England that have refused to comply with the 
doings of the Congress, and for that reason have 
been the butt of general hatred. But God has pre- 
served us from entire destruction. 

" I am now in the 82d year of my age ; yet do 
constantly, alternately, j)erform and preach at New 
Town and Reading. I have been 60 years a public 
|)reacher, and, after conviction, in the Church of 
l<]ngland 50 years ; but had I been sensible of my 
inefficiency, I should not have undertaken it. But 
now I rejoice in that I think I have done more good 
towards men's eternal haj^piness, than I should have 
done in any other calling. 

" I do most heartily thank the venerable Society 
for their liberal support, and beg that they will ac- 
cept of this, ^v'hicli is, I believe, my last bill, viz : 
£325, wdiich, according to fomier custom, is due. 
[Prol)ably at £50 per annum for six years and 
a half, or from 1775.] At this age I cannot well 
hope for it, but I pray God I may have an oppor- 
tuiiity to explain myself Avitli safety ; but must con- 
clude now with Job' s expression : ' Have pity upon 
me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends ! ' " 

Tradition has j)reserved a few incidents in his ex- 
perience during the War of Independence : 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 105 

'' In the autiiTiin of 1775, several officers of the 
militia, having collected a nnniber of soldiers and 
volunteers from the different towns in Western Con- 
necticut, undertook to subdue the tories. They 
went first to Newtown, where they put ]\fr. Beach, 
the Selectmen, and other principal inhabitants, un- 
der strict guard, and urged them to sign the Articles 
of Association, j)rescnbed by the Congress at Phila- 
delphia. When they could prevail upon them 
neither by persuasion nor by threats, they accepted 
a bond from them, with a large pecuniary penalty, 
not to take up arms against the Colonies, and not to 
discourage enlistments into the American forces." 

Shortly after the declaration of Independence (/.<?., 
July 23d, 1776) the Ei)iscoi)al clergy of the colony 
fearing to continue the use of the Liturgy as it then 
stood — praying for the king and royal family — and 
conscientiously scrupulous about violating their 
oaths and subscri^Dtions, resolved to suspend the 
public exercise of their ministry. ' ' All the churches 
were thus for a time closed, except those under the 
care of Mr, Beach. ... He continued to offi- 
ciate as usual" (as himself testifies) during the war. 
" Though gentle as a lamb in the intercourse of pri- 
vate life, he was bold as a lion in the discharge of 
public duty ; and, when warned of personal violence 
if he persisted, he declared that he w^ould do his 
duty, preach, and pray for the King till the rebels 
cut out his tongue." 

Whether the following w^ere sex^arate incidents, or 
are but different versions of one and the same, is 
uncertain : It is related that a squad of soldiers 
marched into his church in l^ewtown, and threat- 



ion HISTORY OF REDDING. 

eiiecl to shoot him if he prayed for the king ; but 
when, regardless of their threats, he went on, with- 
out so much as a tremor in his voice, to offer the for- 
bidden supplications, they were so struck with ad- 
miration for his courage, that they stacked their 
arms and remained to listen to the sermon. 

A band of soldiers entered his church during ser- 
vice, seized him, and declared that they would kill 
him . He entreated that, if his blood must be shed, 
it might not be in the house of God. Thereupon 
they took him into the street, where an axe and 
block w^ere soon prepared. " Now, you old sinner 
(said one), say your last prayer." He knelt down 
and prayed : " God bless King George, and forgive 
all his enemies and mine, for Christ's sake." One 
of the mob then pleaded to " let the old fellow go, 
and take some younger man instead."" 

The following is familiar to the X)eople of Redding 
Ridge parish. The old church of 17o() had a single 
door in the centre, and the pulpit and chancel were 
at the west end, opi)osite the door. A squad of sol- 
diers, seven in number (hired, it is said, by 'Squire 
Betts with a gallon of French brandy to shoot Mr. 
Beach), gathered before the open door of the church, 
and from one of them a bullet was tired which 
lodged in one of the ribs of the sounding-board, a 
foot or more above the head of the venerable preach- 
er. As the congregation sprang to their feet in 
unfeigned consternation to rush from the church, he 
quieted them by saying : " Don't be alarmed, breth- 
ren. Fear not them that kill the body, but are not 
able to kill the soul ; but rather fear him which is 
able to destroy both soul and body in hell;" and 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 107 

then x)roceeded with his discourse as if nothing had 
happened. 

The " History of the Ei)iscopal Church in Connec- 
ticut" informs us that " the Redding Association of 
Loyalists was a strong body, whose secret influence 
Avas felt throughout the mission of the venerable 
pastor ;' ' but how or in what way that influence 
was exerted, does not appear. The " Sons of Lib- 
erty" have been already mentioned in Mr. Beach's 
reports. 

After the death of Mr. Beach in 1782, the Revs. 
Richard Samuel Clarke and Andrew Fowler offici- 
ated here alternately for a short time. Clarke emi- 
grated to ]S"ova Scotia with others of the missiona- 
ries, and many of the members of their flocks, in 1784 
or 1785, He returned on a visit in October, 1786. 
The discontinuance of the stipends of the missiona- 
ries by the S. P. CI., whose charter restricted its ben- 
efactions to the British provinces and plantations, 
was a severe blow to the Ei^iscopal churches, which 
had lieen already greatly weakened by the effects of 
the War of the Revolution. Mr. Beach's congrega- 
tions were exceptions to the general rule, in that 
they increased wdiile others diminished in numbers ; 
but whether few or many of the Redding Churchmen 
formed a part of the thirty thousand Loyalists who, 
Hawkins says, emigrated to the British provinces 
from l^ew England and IN'ew York, it is impossible 
to ascertain. It is not probable, however, that there 
were half that number of Churchmen in all New 
England at the close o^ the war. 

The next name on the list of ministers of this par- 
ish is that of Truman Marsh in 1785, who " visited 



108 HISTORY OF REDDINO. 

the Parish every third Sunday f ' but, as he was not 
ordained till 1790, he mnst have been only a licensed 
lay-reader, though it is not improbable that he 
preacJied — as some of that class did, in those days 
when there was a dearth of ordained ministers. In 
1794 the Rev. David Perry, M.D., minister of the 
parishes of Redding, Ridgefield, and Danbnry, in 
consequence of some reports to his disadvantage as 
a clergyman, and of some errors in regard to baptism, 
was suspended from the ministry, and the next 
year, at his own request, deposed. He returned to 
the practice of medicine in Ridgefield. 

The revenues of the Church were gathered after 
the Revolution much as they were before. ' ' The 
Ex)iscopal parishes were taxed to build churches and 
to sustain religious services, and the Diocesan Con- 
vention assessed the parishes to provide for the 
Bishop's Fund. Each parish was required to make 
an annual return of what was called the ' Grand 
Levy' — that is, its taxable list according to its last 
enrolment— and upon this return rested the right of 
a lay delegate to his seat in the Convention. The 
resolution which fixed this rule was adopted in 1803. 
The first published Grand Levy api^eared in the 
Journal of 1806 ; and from that time onward for fif- 
teen years the roll of the lay delegates was accom- 
panied by the taxable list of the several parishes 
which they represented. If the list of any parish 
exceeded ten thousand dollars, such parish was en- 
titled to . . . two delegates." The Grand Levy 
of tlie Redding parish in 1800 was $12,960. 

"It is interesting to note the changes since that 
period in the relative wealth of the Church in Con- 



HISTOBY OF REDDING. 109 

necticut. In those early days, as reported, Litclifield 
was stronger than Waterbury or Hartford, \Yood- 
bridge was stronger than Meriden, Huntington than 
Derby, Redding than Bridgeport, and JN'ewtown 
than New Haven." 

The longest pastorate since Mr. Beach was that of 
his great-grandson, the Rev. Lemuel B. Hull, who 
resigned his charge in 1836, after twelve years' ser- 
vice" " In 1815, a fund of a little more than $3000 
was raised," 

On the second Tuesday in October, 1833— the year 
in which the present church edifice was built— the 
Annual Convention of the Diocese at Norwich failed 
to organize for want of tv/o more lay delegates to 
form a quorum. " On the morning of that day, at 
three o'clock, the steamboat New England, on her 
passage from New York to Hartford, having on 
board seventy-one persons, burst both her boilers 
near Essex, and eight persons were immediately 
killed and thirteen seriously injured. Among those 
who were fatally injured were Mr. John M. Heron 
and Dr. Samuel B. Whiting, lay delegates from 
Christ Church, Redding ; and they were Avithin a 
mile of their landing-place at the time of the acci- 
dent." 

In the spring of that year several members of the 
parish withdrew by certificate ; among these was 
John Meeker, clerk. 

At a parish meeting, October 25th, 1834, the vestry 
were instructed " to take proper [legal] steps to 
procure the Records of the Parish from the hands of 
the late Clerk, without delay." At another meeting 



110 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

in December following, tlie agents of the parish 
(James Sanford, Jr., and Charles Beach) were 
authorized to " prosecute to linal judgment such 
suits as they should deem necessary for the re- 
covery of the books, recoi'ds, funds or other property 
of the {Society, before any Court proper to try the 
same." 

In October, 1835, fifty dollars were approj)riated 
f rom the jiarish treasury ' ' to enable the agents to 
carry on the suit commenced against the heirs of 
John Meeker, deceased." Some money was thus I'e- 
covered, but the records have never yet been found. 

In 1847 the old parish debt of $870 (incurred in 
the building of the church in 1838) was paid by sub- 
scription. 

In 1850 the parish fund, about $2700, which be- 
fore had been held as a loan by members of the par- 
ish, was by a considerable effort, and against the 
desire and judgment of the ndnority, collected and 
invested in the stock of tlie Fairfield County Bank. 
The same year the church edifice was altered and 
repaired, at an expense of $380.25. " On Advent 
Sunday" of this year, " the last Sunday of my miu- 
stry" (says the Rev^ Joseph P. Taylor), "the sum 
of $600 was collected at the Offertory for the pur- 
pose of building a new parsonage." 

" The al)ove-named sum," says the Rev. Orsamus 
H. Smith, his successor, " hav^ing been put upon the 
plate in written pledges, there remains of them un- 
redeemed in April, 1853, from fifty to one hundred 
dollars," which being " i)art of the money relied 
ujDon for the building, . . . the Vestry were 



niSTORY OF EEDDINO. Ill 

obliged to bori'ow it. and it remains a debt upon the 
parish. The new house was finished in October, 
1851, and immediately occupied by the family of 
Mr. Smith. 

In 1858, says the Rev\ W. W. Bronson : "The 
Glebe lot was very much improved by the pturchase 
of a strip of land [on the west side] and the erec- 
tion of a suitable fence, mainly through the exer- 
tions of the ladies of the parish." 

In 1863 the organ was repaired, and the broken 
bell replaced by a new one of similar tone, from 
Meneeley's, at Troy. 

In 1873 the church spire was repaired, and the old 
[English] weathercock, a relic of Colonial times (one 
of whose legs had been shot off by one of Tryon's 
soldiers in 1777), having jDersistently refused to re- 
main upon his perch, was excused from further duty, 
and a gilded cross erected in his place. The vener- 
able bird, however, is still to be seen on one of the 
outbuildings of the great-grandson of the Rev. John 
I3each, in East Redding. The parsonage was 
adorned in 1874 with a new and spacious veranda, 
in 1876 with a set of blinds. 

The noticeable incidents of the present year, 1879, 
are the destruction of the church sheds by lire on 
the evening of the 12th of May, and the acquisition 
of a baptismal font of Italian marble, purchased 
with contributions of the Sunday-school and other 
members of the parish, collected during the rector- 
ship of the Rev. Mr. Kelley. The number of nomi- 
nal communicants is sixty five ; of baptized persons, 
about one hundred and twentv. 



112 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 



LIST OF MINISTERS OFFICIATING IN THE PARISH OF 
CHRIST CHURCH, REDDING. 



Rcv 



. Henry Caner !1727 1733 

John Beach lOct., 1732 Mar. 19, \\ 

R.S.Clarke j. aUnates.ll783 

Andrew l-owler ) 

Trumau Marsh 1785 



David Belden '17SG. 



Ambrose Hull .1789 

Davul Perry, M.D 1791 

David Butler I Jan. 20, 1799. 

Elijah G. Plumb IJaii. 30, 180G. 

Reuben Hubbard ! 1813 



■83. 



1820 

1834 

Aug., 183G ... 

June, 1838 

May 8, 1843.... 
Easter, 1845... 

184G 

Easter, 1847... 
Nov. 29, 1850.. 
Abel 0<rden iJuly 10, 1853. 



Ambrose S. Todd, D.D.. 

Lemuel B. Hull 

Edward J. Darken, M.D. 

Cliarles Jarvis Todd 

William Atvvill 

David H. Short, D.D... 

Abel Nichols 

Josepli P. Taylor 

Orsamus H. Smith 



James Adams. 

Wm. Wliit(! Bronsou.... 

Alfred Londerback 

Henry Zell , 

Wm.L. Bi)stwick 

John W. Hoffman 

Cliarles W. Kelley 

Ximenus Alanson Welton. 



Officiated a short 
time only, on ac- 
count of ill-health. 

1791 

Susp'd Nov. 1794. 

[1804 

,1811 

11818 

1823 

Feb. 23, 1S3G 

Dec. 25, 1837 

Easter, 1843 

1845 

1846 

1847 

Dec, 1850 

Mar. 31, 1853.... 
Died May 8, 1854. 

Oct.. 185G 

1860 

Aug. 5, 1863 

Died Nov. 5, 1863. 



Autumn, 1854. 

1857 

May 25,1861.. 
March 12, 1863 

Easter, 1864 [June 15, 1867 

Dec. G, 1868 INov. 30, 1871. 

Jan. 5, 1873 1 April 30, 187G. 

Julyl, 1877 ! 



The number of communicants belonging to Christ 
Church, Redding, as reported at different periods, 
were : 

In 1809 55 Inl8G0 47 



1810. 
1811. 
1815. 
1817. 
1845. 
1851. 
1854. 
1856. 
1858. 
1859. 



63 


" 1863 


67 


'• 1866 


61 


" 1869 


61 


" 1873 


42 


" 1874 


GO 


" 1875. 


56 


" 1877. 


57 


" 1878. 


58 


" 1879. 



.00 

.45 
.37 
.40 
.55 
.61 
.59 
.64 
.05 



.56 



HISTOliY OF REDDING. 11^ 



CHAPTER VII. 



METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 

1789-1879. 

When Jesse Lee left New York on the mission 
which was to quicken and vitalize the New England 
churches, his first resting-place was at Nor walk, 
where he preached on the highway under a spread- 
ing elm, no house being opened to him. From 
Norwalk he proceeded to Fairfield and New Haven, 
and from the latter place to Redding. He reached 
this town on Wednesday, the 24th of June, 1789, 
and from this period we are to date the origin of the 
]Methodist Church in Redding, although some six 
months elapsed before it was formally organized. In 
his Journal under the above date, Mr. Lee thus nar- 
rates some of the incidents of this first visit : 

" I travelled a stony road to Reddiug and accord- 
ing to directions called on Esquire Benedict but he 
was not at home ; so I got my horse and rode to 
Mr. Rogers to consult him about the matter. AVhile 
I was talking to him Mr. Bartlett a Congregational 
minister came by, and being informed who I was 
asked me home with him. After I had been there a 
while he asked me some questions relative to doc- 
trines, and I endeavored to inform him what kind of 
doctrines we preached. He said he could not invite 
me into the meeting house, because I held what he 
thought was contrary to the gospel. I told him I did 
not expect an invitation to preach in the meeting 
house, but if I was asked I should not refuse. How- 
ever Mr. Rogers sent his son down in a little time 
to let me know that there was a school house- that 
9 



114 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

I could preach in, so I made the appointment for the 
people at six o'clock. Having met at that hour I 
preached on Isa. 55 : 6 : ' Seek ye the Lord while he 
may be fonnd &c.' I bless God that I had some 
liberty in preaching." 

The school-house where this first sermon was de- 
livered probably stood on the common near the old 
meeting-house. The few and simple doctrines that 
Mr. Lee preached were the witness of the Spirit, 
the entire efficacy of the Atonement, and the possi- 
bility of falling from grace, and they were presented 
with so much force and earnestness as to produce a 
■ deep impression on those who heard them ; yet he 
had no time to remain and note the effect produced, 
but rode away the next day, carrying his tidings to 
other e^jmmunities. Twice again Lee visited Red- 
ding—July 8th, and September IGth of the same 
year — without seeing any fruits of his efforts ; for, 
although many were imi:)ressed with the truth of his 
doctrines, they hesitated about coming out openly 
, and joining the new sect. At length on his fourth 
visit, December 28th, 1789, he "joined two in so- 
' ciety for a beginning. A man who has lately re- 
• ceived a witness of his being in favor with the Lord 
led the way, and a woman wdio I hope was lately 
converted, followed.'' This was the second Method- 
ist society organized in New England, the hrst be- 
ing at Stratford. The two first members mentioned 
above were Aaron Sanford and his mother-in-law, 
Mrs. William Hawley. Mr. Sanford by this act be- 
came the first male member of the Methodist Church 
in New England ; he was at once appointed leader 
of the class thus formed, and its meetings were held 



HISTOliY OF RED DIN O. 115 

for years at liis house. After its organization tlie 
growth of the Society was very rapid, chiefly through 
the chiss-meeting, and that agency so eifectively 
used by Methodism, the lay preachers. 

It is unfortunate that, owing to the loss of the 
early records of the church, we can give the names 
of but few of its original members. From the rec- 
ords of the first society I coj)y the following cer- 
tificate, dated December 15th, 1789 : 

" I hereby certify that Aaron Sanford of Reading, 
has constantly attended the Methodist meetings in 
this town, and pays his part toward my support as 
a minister of the gospel. 

"Jesse Lee." 

Similar certificates were given, February 9th, 1790, 
to Hezekiah Sanford, and August 6th of the same 
year to Isaac Sherwood, and S. Samuel Smith. 

From the cliurch book of baptisms which has been 
preserved, we learn that prior to 1794 the early 
preaciiers had baptized children of Daniel and Anna 
Bartram, Silas and Huldali Merchant, Jonas and 
Lucy Piatt, Paul and Mary Bartram, Jabez, and 
Sarah Gorham, Elijah and Menoma Elder, Aaron 
and Mary Odle, John and Sarah Sherman, Uriah 
and Hannah Mead, Benjamin and Elizabeth Knap, 
Chester and Elizabeth Meeker, Charles and Lucy 
Morgan, Ezekiel and Easter Bertram, Jesse and 
Martha Banks, Isaac and Betty Piatt, and Aaron 
and Eunice Hunt, and we may safely reckon them 
as members of the church at that time. 

Early in 1790 Lee organized liis first circuit in 
New England ; it was called the '' Fail-field Circuit,' ' 
and embraced Norwalk, Fairfield, Stratford, Mil- 



IIG HISTORY OF REDDING. 

ford, Redding, Danbury, Canaan, and intermediate 
places, Tlie first regularly appointed minister 
whose name appears on the Society records was 
John Bloodgood, who was here as early as January 
21st, 1791, perhaps earlier. He was a native of the 
South, and after serving on the Fairfield Circuit 
one year, was transferred to the Baltimore Confer- 
ence, to which his ministerial labors were chiefly 
confined. He died in 1810, Like most of his col- 
leagues, he jDreached in the school-houses, under 
trees, sometimes in the barns, but always so fervent- 
ly, and with such native eloquence, that multitudes 
flocked to hear him. He was succeeded at the May 
(1791) session of the Conference by Nathaniel B. 
Mills and Aaron Hunt. 

Mr. Mills is described by his colleague, Mr. Hunt, 
as " a man small in stature, intelligent, sound, an able 
preacher, and rather inclined to dejection." He was 
born in New Castle County, Delaware, February 
23d, 17GG. He entered the Baltimore Conference in 
the spring of 1787„ and after a laborious ministry of 
forty- two years, both in New England and the South, 
was compelled in 1835 to retire to the ranks of the 
superannuated, where he remained until his death in 
1844. His colleague, Eev, Aaron Hunt, was born in 
Eastchester, Westchester County, N. Y., March 28th, 
1768, and entered the Methodist ministry in 1791, 
making some of his first essays at preaching on the 
Redding Circuit. 

In 1793, while preaching in Redding, he married 
Miss Hannah Sanford, daughter of the Mr. Aaron 
Sanford before mentioned, and shortly after "lo- 
cated ' ' in Redding, where he continued to reside for 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 117 

many years, and where most of his large family of 
children were born. Mr. Hunt was prominent among 
the early Methodist preachers, and was well known 
throughout the State. During his pastorate the 
church had been encouraged by a visit from the emi- 
nent Bishop Asbury, who passed through Redding 
in June, 1791, during his hasty tour through New 
England, and preached here "with much satisfac- 
tion," as he remarks in his Journal. The church re- 
ceived another and longer visit from him in Septem- 
ber, 1796. " The society in that village," says Mr. 
Stevens, the historian of Methodism, " had been 
gradually gathering strength. They assembled to 
greet him at Mr. Sandford's, where he gave them a,Ti 
encouraging discourse from 1 Peter 1 : 13-15." 
From this time until 1811, the record of the church 
is one of continued growth and prosperity ; revivals 
were frequent and accessions many ; classes were 
early formed at Loneto^\^l, Redding Ridge, Sanford- 
town, Boston, and at Long Ridge, the latter some 
years later becoming a separate church organization. 
Still the society was without a house of worship, 
and the want was beginning to be severely felt. 
In 1803 they first leased the town-hall for a place of 
public worship, as appears by the follomng extract 
from the town records : " At a town meeting held 
December 12, 1803, it was voted, 'That the Town 
House be leased to the Methodist Society for $15 
per year to be used as often, and as much as they 
please for public worship, and said Society to repair 
all damage done to the Town House while they are 
assembled therein for public worship.' " This lease 
was continued from year to year at varying rates. 



lis HISTORY OF REDDING. 

imtil the erection of the first church in 1811. Of the 
))ai](ling of this edifice we have no data except such 
as is contained in this extract from the society 
records : 

" At a Society meeting of the Methodists, duly 
warned and hekl at the honse of William Sanford 
in Redding, on Tnesday the 8()th day of October, 
1810. Voted, that Seth Andrews, William Sanford, 
and John R. Hill be a committee to said society foi" 
the ensuing year, to do and transact all temj)oral 
business. Voted, That our said committee carry 
round a subscription paper immediately to raise 
money for the purpose of building a Meeting-House 
in said Redding, for the purpose of Divine Wor- 
ship. 

" Aako]n^ Sanford, CZerA-." 

The church was bidlt the succeeding summer. It 
stood on the site of the present residence of Deacon 
Charles Smith, on land purchased of Jonathan R. 
Sanford, Esq. His deed conveying the land, dated 
June 6th, 1811, was given to Seth Andrews, AVilliam 
Sanford, and John R. Hill, trustees for the Method- 
ist church and society in Redding, the consideration 
being $130. No actual descri2:)tion of the first 
church is preserved to us, except that it was })uilt 
after the usual fashion of Methodist churches in 
those days. It had no steeple nor tower, no ceiling 
except the roof, and there were no means of warm- 
ing it, except by foot-stoves carried in by the female 
worshippers. With the above exceptions, the follow- 
ing description of an early Methodist church would 
probably apply to this in every particular : 

" The building was as unpolluted by paint within 
and without as vA^hen its timbers were standinu; in 



HIS TOBY OF REDDING. 119 

tlieir native forest. A gallery extended aronnd three 
sides. At the extreme end of the left gallery wns a 
small room j)artitioned off for class meetings. The 
inilpit was elevated abont six feet above the floor, 
and in form resembled a large dry goods box, the 
breastworks so high as almost to conceal the 
preacher if small of statnre from view. From the 
pnlpit extended a staircase condncting to the class- 
room in the gallery, to which the preacher and the 
members repaired at the close of the public ser- 
vices."* 

N'one of the incidents in the history of the old 
church are so vividly remembered and described as 
the quarterly meetings which were held there. The 
quarterly meeting to the early Methodist was the 
most important of all the institutions of the church, 
and those held in Redding were esjiecially note- 
worthy ; it was a sort of home-coming to the mother 
church, and at such times all the Methodist homes in 
town were open to the brethren from abroad. The 
presiding elder and the two preachers on the ' ' Cir- 
cuit" were always present on these occasions, and 
the membership was gathered from Danbury, Ridge - 
held, Easton, and IN'ewtown, as well as from places 
more remote. The exercises on these occasions be- 
gan at 9 o'clock on Sabbath morning with the " love- 
feast" and the passing of bread and water, of which 
all x:)artook, as a token of their brotherhood in 
Christ. At 10.30 a sermon was preached by the 
elder. At 12 m. the Sacrament of the Lord's Supjier 
was administered. At 1 p.^r. another sei'mon was 
preached, generally by one of the preachers in 

^ Sermon of Rev. J. L. Gilder, before the N. Y. East Confercuce. 



120 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

chai'ge. At the conclusion of this discourse the 
genial elder would proceed to designate to the 
guests tlieir resj^ective places of entertainment. The 
day was usually concluded by a series of j)rayer- 
meetings held in the different districts, and con- 
ducted with great warmth and fervor. 

The old church seems to have been intended for a 
temporary structure, and was succeeded in 1837 by 
the present neat and commodious edifice. A brief 
account of the erection of the ]3resent building will 
be interesting and i)robably new to many, though 
little more than forty years have elapsed since its 
timbers were standing in the forest. 

We find on the society records the following en- 
tries : 

' ' The members of the Methodist Episcopal Society 
of Eedding are hereljy notified and warned, tiiat a 
society's meeting for said society will be held on 
Tuesday the 26th day of instant January at one 
o'clock P.M. at the Methodist Church in said Red- 
ding for the purpose of taking into consideration the 
propriety of building a new church in said society, 
and locating the same near the intersection of the 
roads near the Town House, appointing a Imilding 
committee to superintend and carry said object int(j 
effect, make arrangements to disj)ose of the old house 
if thought proper, and to do any other business 
proper to be done at said meeting. 

" Sherlock Todd, ) 

Jesse Banks, - Trustees. 

Axiio^ Mallett, ) 

"Redding, Jau. 20, 1836." 

A society meeting was held at the appointed 
time — Rev, H. Humphreys being chairman, and 



HISTORY OF REDDING. l^l 

Thomas B. Fanton clerk. It was then voted " To 
approve of the proposed plan in the caption of the 
subscription paper to raise subscriptions and build 
a new house. ..." 

It was also further provided "that the said 
House shall be located somewhere near the four cor- 
ners that intersect at Redding Town House, But the 
said object not to take effect, unless the sum of Two 
thousand Five hundred Dollars be subscribed, and 
the said House be built within eighteen months from 
the date hereof." 

Voted : " To build a House agreeable to the above 
caption, provided a place be obtained that is approved 
bv the committee appointed for that purpose 

Voted: "To appoint a Building Committee ot 
three persons to superintend, and take charge, and 
contract for the same House, viz. : Thomas B. Fan- 
ton, John R. Hill, and Gershom Sherwood._ 

Voted : "To add two more to the building Com- 
i^ittee— Jesse Banks and David Duncomb. ' ' 

Voted: " To adjourn the meeting two weeks 

from this day at one p.m." 

Thomas B. Fat^ttox, Clerk. 

No account of the adjourned meeting is to be 
found in the society records. The twenty-five hun- 
dred dollars needed was speedily subscribed, and the 
building was erected in the summer of 1837 and ded- 
icated fn December of the same year, Rev. C. K. 
True preaching the dedication sermon. 

In 1868, during the pastorate of Rev. William T. 
Hill, the church was thoroughly remodelled and re- 
furnished. The pulpit was cut down, and the an- 
tique pews exchanged for the present neat and com- 
lortable ones. The rededication service at this time 



13-2 • HISTORY OF REDDING. 

was perhaps the most interesting occasion in the his- 
tory of the church. Bishop Janes was present, and 
preached the dedication sermon to an audience tliat 
tilled every nook and corner of the building, and 
many old pastors and friends of the church added by 
their presence to the interest of the occasion. 

In September, 1870, Rev. Aaron Sanford Hill gave 
to the church some ten acres of land lying in the 
northerly part of the town, the income from which 
was to be appropriated to the use of the church. 
This gift Mr. Sanford supplemented by another of 
$4000 in 1871, of which the interest only was to be 
used in meeting the expenses of the church. Tliis 
fund is known as the Sanford Hill Fund. In 1877 
another benefaction of $500 was given by AVilliam 
A. Sanford, Esq., to be applied in the same manner 
as the preceding. 

Revivals in the church have been frequent, and 
attended with gratifying results : notably in 1815 
under the preaching of Rev, Reuben Harris, in 
1822 during the pastorate of Aaron Hunt, in 1838 
under that of Rev. John Crawford, in 1855 under 
Rev. E. S. Hebbard, and in 1807 under Rev. Wil- 
liam T. Hill. 

According to the minutes of the Annual Confer- 
ences the following ministers were appointed to 
Fairfield Circuit (which included Redding), begin- 
ning with its organization in 1790 : 

1790 John Blood good. 

1791 Nathaniel B". Mills, Aaron Hunt. 

1792 Joshua Taylor, Smith Weeks. 
1798 James Coleman, Aaron Hunt. 

1794 Zebidon Kankey, Nicholas Snethen. 



HISTORY OF liEDDINO. 1^^ 

Those appointed to Redding Circuit were : 

1795 Daniel Dennis, Timothy Dewey. 

1796 Elijah Woolsey, Robert Leeds. 

1797 David Buck, Augustus Jocelyn. 

1798 William Thatcher. 

1799 David Brown. 

1800 Augustus Jocelyn. 

1801 Samuel Mermn, Isaac Candee. 

1802 James Coleman, Isaac Candee. 

1803 James Campbell, N. U. Tompkms. 

1804 Peter Moriarty, Sylvester Foster. 

1805 Peter Moriarty, Samuel Merwin. 

1806 Nathan Felch, Oliver Sykes. 

1807 James M. Smith, Zalmon Lyon. 

1808 Noble W. Thomas, Jonathan Lyon. 

1809 Billv Hibbarcl, Isaac Candee. 

1810 Nathan Emory, John Russell. 

1811 Aaron Hunt, Oliver Sykes, and John Rey- 

nolds. 
T812 Seth Crowel, Gilbert Lyon, S. Beach. 

1813 Aaron Hunt, Henry Eames. 

1814 Ebenezer Washburne, Reuben Harris. 

1815 Elijah Woolsey, Reuben Harris. 

1816 Samuel Bushnell, John Boyd. 

1817 Samuel Bushnell, Theodocius Clarke. 

1818 James M. Smith, Theodocius Clarke. 

1819 J. S. Smith, Phineas Cook. 

1820 Laban Clark, Phineas Cook. 

1 821 Laban Clark, Aaron Hunt. 

1822 Samuel Cochrane, Aaron Hunt. 

1823 Samuel Cochrane, John Reynolds. 

1824 Elijah Woolsey, John Reynolds. 

To Redding and Bridgeport Circuit : 

1825 Marvin Richardson, H. Humphreys, Frederic 

W. Siger. 

1826 Marvin Richardson, H. Humphreys. 

1827 Henry Stead, John Lovejoy, J. C. Bontecue. 



124 HIS TO It r OF BEDDING. 

To Redding Circuit : 

1828 Henry Stead, Gersliom Pearce. 

1829 Ebenezer Washburn, Gersliom Pearce. 

1880 Ebenezer Washburn, Oliver V. Ammerman. 

1881 James Young, Josiah Bowen. 

1882 Nicholas White, Jesse Hunt. 

1883 Jesse Hunt, John B. Beach. 

1834 Josiah Bowen, John B. Beach. 

To Redding and Newtown Circuit : 

1835 Humphrey Humphries, Josiah L. Dickerson, 

John Davies. 

1836 Humphrey Humphries. 

March 28th, 1837, the society, "after due delib- 
eration, existing circumstances being considered, 
voted to try a station the ensuing year ;" which was 
accordingly done, and the Rev. Humphrey Humph- 
ries became the first stated pastor. 

Since then the church has enjoyed the undivided 
care of its j^astors, and has been generally prosper- 
ous and aggressive. 

The list of pastors since 1837 comprises many well- 
known names and will be read with interest. Tiiey 
are as follows : 

1838 John Crawford, 2d ; Morris Hill. 

1839-40 Paul R. Brown. 

1841-2 Daniel Smith. 

1843 Phillip L. Hovt. 

1844-5 AVilliam F. Collins. 

1846-7 Joseph D. Marshall. 

1848-9 Jacob Shaw. 

1850-1 John L. Gilder. 

1852-3 Friend W. Smith. 

1854-5 E. S. Hibbard. 

1856-7 Hart F. Pease. 



UISTOBY OF BEDDING. 125 

1858 George C. Crevey. 

1859 William H. Gilder. 
1860-1 John W. Home. 
1862-3 George Hollis. 
1864-6 David Nasli. 
1867-8 William T. Hill. 
1869 Alexander Graliam. 
1870-2 Theodore C. Beach. 
1873 William R. Webster. 
1874-6 Joseph Smith. 
1877-8 John Dickinson. 
1879 John Haugh. 

Of the above list, bnt one, Rev. Jacob Shaw, died 
and was bnried in Redding. Of the laymen who 
nobly aided these clergymen in their ministry many 
will be held in grateful remembrance by the 
church. 

The names most familiar to the early membership 
perhaps were those of the lay preachers, Aaron San- 
ford, Hawley Sanford, Rory Starr, and Walter San- 
ford ; the class leaders, John R. Hill, Abraham 
Couch, Urrai Meade, Sherlock Todd, and Bradley 
Burr ; and the official members, Thomas B. Fanton, 
David S. Duncomb, Aaron Sanford, Jr., Charles 
Gorham, Eben Treadwell, and John Edmonds. 

The present membership of the church is 149. 
Males, 57 ; females, 92. 

II. 

I'IIP: METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH AT LONG RIDGE. 

The origin of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 
Long Ridge, as narrated by Rev. Paul R. Brown, 
pastor of the church in 1842, was as follows : 



I'^'C imslORY OF REDDINO. 

" One evening as Father Coleman (a Methodist 
preacher) was passing through Starr's Plain, on his 
way to Danbury, he saw a man sitting on the fence 
by the wayside, and inquired the distance to town. 
The man told him, and added : ' Are you a Doctor ? ' 
' No, sir.' ' Are you a Lawyer '{ ' ' No, sir.' ' Then,' 
said the man, following up the question, ' what are 
you ? ' Father Coleman answered, ' I am a Meth- 
odist preacher.' ' Methodist preacher ! What's 
that i ' replied the man. ' If you will open your 
house, and invite in your neighbors, I will let you 
hear a Methodist preacher, the next time I come 
this way,' was the reply. The offer was accepted, 
and Father Coleman preached to them on his next 
visit ; he soon organized a class, and among the 
members of that class was the man who sat upon 
the fence and questioned the preacher. After that 
the class grew into a society, and in due time a 
small church w^as built in Long Ridge, which gave 
way to a larger edilice, in the course of a few 
years." 

The first church w^as built when the society con- 
sisted of but eleven members, under the following 
circumstances. They were assembled for the 
weekly class-meeting at the house of one of their 
number, and were speaking of their need of a 
church, when Uriah Griffin remarked, that if he had 
a hundred dollars in hand he would build them a 
church. David Osborne, the youngest member pres- 
ent, at once agreed to furnish the required sum, 
and the church was built the same year. This was 
in 1820-1, during the pastorate of Rev. Laban (Jlark, 
The little society at once became connected with 
Redding Station as an auxiliary, the jDreacher in 
charge there having the care of its temporal con- 
cerns, and filling its puli:)it once in four weeks. In 



IIISTGBY OF REDDING. 1'27 

the interim the piili)it was suiiplied by tlie lay 
preachers, Aaron Sanford, Morris Hill, Aaron S. 
Hill, of Redding", Rory Starr, of Danbury, and 
others. The society's connection Avith Redding 
ceased in 1848, and the same relation was formed 
with the church in Bethel. For several years past 
it has been a seioarate station. The jiastors of the 
church from 1820 to 1848 were the same as those of 
Redding, and are given in the history of the Red- 
ding Church. The pastors since 1848 have been as 
follows : 

1848-9 Morris Hill. 

1850 Elias Gilbert. 

1851-2 Charles Bartlett. 

185B-4 George Stillman. 

1855-6 Samuel H. Smith. 

1857-8 John Crawford. 

1859 David Osborn. 

1860-1 Sherman D, Barnes, local preacher. 

1862-3 Elias Gilbert. 

1864 William H. Adams. 

1865 J. W. Bramblee. 
1866-7 G. AV. PoUey, local. 

1868 Stephen J. Stebbins. 

1869 James H. Crofut, local. 

1870 Frank F. Jorden, local. 

1871 William P. Armstrong, local. 

1872 Frank F. Jorden, local. 

1878 Joseph W. Pattison, local. 
1874-5 William Cogswell, local. 
1876 Joseph AY. Pattison, local. 
1877-8 Charles A. AVilson, local. 

1879 Henry A. Van Dalsem. 

The membership at j)resent is sixty." 

"••■ The present cluivcli edifice is situated in Daubury, a few yards 
from the Redding line, but as the ciuirch was so long identified wilii 
Redding, it was thought proper to preserve its history here. 



128 HISTORY OF REDDING. 



III. 



A few yards from Redding Station, on the banks 
of the Sangatnck River, is situated the ohl camp- 
ground, noted for being the place where the tirst 
cami)-meeting of the Methodists in New England 
was held. Just when this event occurred we are un- 
able to state, but it was about 1810, prol)ably under 
the leadership of Nathan Bangs. The tents of this 
first assemblage were of the most iDrimitive kind, 
many of them being constructed of the branches of 
trees, and others of blankets stretched over a frame- 
work of poles. Meetings continued to be held in 
this grove every year for over sixty years. 

About 1860, owing to some difficulty in leasing 
the grounds, and from other causes, the meetings 
here were discontinued, and another camp -ground 
opened at Milford, Conn., on the line of the JSTaug- 
atuck Railroad. 

This grove was, however, soon abandoned, never 
having been popular with the Methodist public. In 
1878, after the lapse of nearly twenty years, the old 
camp -ground at Redding was reopened, and that 
year a very successful and well-attended meeting 
was held there. 

It was supposed, then, that the grove would be 
purchased and continue to be used for camp)-meet- 
ing purposes, but this desirable consummation was 
not effected. 



HISTORY OF REDDING. l-^'J 



CHAPTER \lll. 

THE BAPTIST CHURCH IN GEORGETOWN (nOW EX- 
TINCT). 

That there was a sociefcy of Baptists in Redding- 
as early as 1785, appears from an entry in the rec- 
ords of the First Society, dated December 9th, 1785, 
wherein Michael Wood has a certificate given him 
by John Lee, Deacon, as a member of the Baptist 
chnrch in Redding. 

Similar certificates were given to John Couch, 
Micayah Starr, and Jabez Wakeman ; but we have 
no evidence of the existence of a church here until 
1833. On the 28th of January of that year an eccle- 
siastical council was held at the house of Timothy 
Wakeman, in Redding, and a church formally organ- 
ized. The record of the proceedings of this meeting 
constitutes the first entry in the Church Book of 
Records, and is as follows : 

'' Chose Elder Thomas Lascombe Moderator, and 
Elder Nathan Wildman, Clerk. Invited Brethren 
present to a seat with the Council. Proceeded to 
hear the Articles and Covenant, also reasons why 
they wished to be constituted into a Church. The 
Council unanimously voted to proceed to the con- 
stitution. Repaired to the meeting house. Intro- 
ductory prayer and sermon by Elder Nathan Wild- 
man. Right hand of fellowship in behalf of the 
Council, and closing prayer by Elder Thomas Las- 
combe. '"'Nathan Wildman, Clerl-r 

There were but 18 original members— 4 males and 
1 4 females. For some years there was no settled pas- 
10 



130 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

tor, and tlie pulpit was supplied alternately, once 
in fonr weeks, by Elders S. Ambler, of Danbury, 
and Stephen B. Bray, a licentiate from Sonthbury, 
Conn. Elders N.AYildman, of Weston ; Erastns Doty, 
of Colebrook, Conn., and Chandler Curtis also 
preached occasionally. June 3d, 1837, the church 
extended a unanimous call to Kev, William Bowen, 
of Mansfield, Conn., which was accepted, and he be- 
came the first pastor of the church. He continued 
to sustain this relation to the church until Novem- 
ber, 1838, when he was dismissed, owing to the ina- 
bility of the society to meet his salary. The same 
month the church edifice was nearly destroyed by 
mob violence — the only instance of the kind that 
ever occurred in this staid and conservative town. 

It was 1838, the period of the slavery excitement, 
Avhen abolitionist and pro-slavery man engaged in 
almost daily conflict, and men thought to stifle with 
shot-gun and bludgeon the first faint stirrings of 
the national conscience. A few pithy entries in the 
church records thus refer to the afl'air : 

"Nov. 26tli. Rev. Nathaniel Colver lectured on 
slavery in our meeting house — was disturbed liy un- 
ruly persons. " 

' ' 27th. Another lecture on Slav- ery molested as 
night before." 

"28th. Meeting house blown up by a mob, but 
not entirely destroyed." 

This is all the information the (ihurcli records give 
us on the subject, but from the files of the Nor- 
walk Gazette for that year we glean a full account 
of the affair. This article is interesting, as showing 



HISTORY OF REDDING. i^l 

the manner in wliicli even the Whigs handled tlie 
qnestion of slavery at that time. 

" HiGii-iiANDED Outrage.— We learn that Jiidge 
Lynch has been exercisino- his snmmary proceedings 
in this vicinity within the week past. Colver, the 
abolitionist lecturer, has been holding forth, as we 
understand, for a number of evenings, on the subject 
of immediate emancipation, in the Baptist church m 
Redding, and in the course of his lectures had taken 
occasion to exhibit before his audience the irrafU- 
cal anialr/amcdionism of the Vice-President of the 
United States, the Hon. Richard M. Johnson. A\e 
are informed that he accused this distinguished per- 
sonage of making merchandise of the offspring of 
his own loins, of selling his own sons and daughters 
into slaverv. This so enraged some of his political 
partisans, that they determined to ahollsJi the walls 
which had echoed the nefarious libel upon ' Dick, 
the Tecumseh Killer.' So, after the lecture was con- 
cluded, a keg of gunpowder was deposited under 
the chnrch which 'had been profaned by these abo- 
lition orgies— and about two o'clock on the morning 
of the 29th ult. the church was blown ' sky-high,' as 
John Randolph used to say. It was a small build- 
ing of one story, and not ^^'orth more than 8500. 
But notwithstanding the provocation, and notwith- 
standing the comparatively trifling amount of damage 
occasioned by this wanton outrage, we most sin- 
cerely deprecate the prevalence of a spirit which 
does violence to tlie dearest rights of every freeman 
in the land— the freedom of speech and of opinion. 
We are no apolo^•ists for the intemperate and fanatic 
zeal of the abolitionists ; but we deem it the duty 
of every press in the land to cry out against such 
violations of the Constitution and laws. And though 
we would denounce in the severest terms the exas- 
perating conduct of the abolitionists, we would at the 
same time do our utmost to bring the trespassers 



132 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

upon tlie rights whicli tlie Constitution guarantees to 
every citizen and the vi(jhitors of the public peace, 
to condign punishment/'"'' 

This action of the niol), with the dissensions en- 
gendered by it, proved a sad bh)w to the church, and 
from which it never fully recovered, although it con- 
tinued in existence for several years. Elder John 
K. W^aterbury served the church as pastor for some 
months in 1839, and was succeeded in 1841 by Elder 
Jolm Noyes, of North Haven. 

Mr. Noyes' letter of dismission from the Baptist 
church in North Haven is as follows : 

'' The Baptist Church in North Ilaten to the 
Baptist Church in Beadinf/. 

"■ Dear Biietiihen, This certifies that Rev. John 
Noyes and his wife Ann are members of this church 
in good standing, and as such we commend them to 
your Christian affection and fellowship. We have 
voted that when they are received by you, we shall 
c.onsider tlieir connection with us dissolved, 

" In behalf of the church in NortJi Haven. 

"M. F. RoEiNSON, ClerJi. 

■' May 1, 1841." 

April 2d, 1842, Mr. Noyes was dismissed to Pliil- 
lipstown, N. Y, Rev. George Crocker, of Danbury, 
supplied the pulpit for the succeeding twelve 

*A resident, of Georgetown at the time gives the following addi- 
tional particulars : About two o'clock on tiie morning following Mr. 
(■olver's lecture, the inhal)itauts of Georgetown were startled by a 
trcm(3udous report and rumbling noise, which jarred the liouses and 
broke the windows in the immediate neigliborhood. In the morn- 
ing, this unusual disturbance was found to have been caused by the 
I'.xplosion of a keg of powder which had been placed directly under 
the i)uliiit. a portion of the underpinning of the church having been 
removed for that purpose. The pulpit was demolished, the front of 
the building displaced several feet, tlie windows broken out, and the 
walls destroyed. 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 133 

irionths. Elder David Pease was the next preacher, 
lie being called February 11th, 1844. His connection 
with the church was short and uneventful. There 
is no record of any other preacher being called ; in 
fact, the society was becoming too weak to support 
an organization, and shortly after, in October, 1847, 
was dissolved by the unanimous vote of its mem- 
bei's. 



CHAPTER IX. 

TIIK METHODIST PROTESTATs'T CIIlTIlCir IX GEOKGE- 
TOAVX (NOW THE CONGREGATIONAL OHUECIlK 

The Methodist Protestant Church in Georgetown 
had its origin in a small schism in the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, commencing about 1818, in the 
New York Conference. 

Among the ministers who seceded from the church 
at this time was the Rev. AVilliam M. Stillwell, who. 
in 1820, organized a small class of persons in George- 
town, sharers in his peculiar ideas of church polity, 
but who still retained the name of Methodist, though 
called by their opponents Stillwellites. In 1829 a 
convention was held and adoj)ted the name of Meth- 
odist Protestant, and in 1839 the church at George- 
town was formally organized as the Methodist Prot- 
estant Church and Society, of Wilton Circuit. The 
first members of the class, so far as can be ascer- 
tained, were Ebenezer Hill, Banks Sherwood, David 
ISTichols, Isaac Osborne, and Benjamin Gilbert and 
wife. The lirst minister was Rev. William M, Still- 



334 IfrSTOUY OF BEDDING. 

well. The first entry in the church records is as fol- 
lows : 

'• The lirst jVIethodist Protestant cliui'(*h in Red- 
ding was organized in the year of our Lord 1839, on 
the loth of the 9th month, at a regular warned meet- 
ing held at the house of Sturges Bennett. The fol- 
lowing officers were chosen. David Nichols chair- 
man, John O. St. John, secretary. John O. St. 
JoJm was duly elected clerk of said society, and the 
oath was administered by Walker Bates, Esq. John 
O. St. John was also elected Treasurer of said so- 
ciety.' ' 

Aaron Osborne was the first sexton. (He was to 
open the church thirty minutes before service, sweep 
the house, make the fires, and attend to the lights, 
for a yearly salary of $G.0(). ) 

The present house of worshij) had been l)uilt in 
1839, prior to the organization of the church, by 
JohnO. St. John and Charles Scribner. For a num- 
ber of years -the church records show only the ordi- 
nary routine of business. In 18o], jNIarch lOtli, a 
society's meeting passed the following resolutions : 

" JResolved, 1st : That we take into consideration 
the amount of Damage sustained by the society, by 
the Danbury and Norwalk 11. R. crossing the so- 
ciety's grounds near this house of worship. 2nd : 
That the assessment of damages by crossing the so- 
ciety's grounds be left to three men — one chosen by 
the trustees, one by the Rail Road contractors, and 
those two to choose a third. 3rd : That the trustees 
he instructed to hold the contractors or Rail Road 
(yompany responsible for all damage to the society's 
house of worship." 

To these resolutions a meeting held December 27th, 
18r)l, added the folio winu' : 



HISTORY OF REDDING. l^o 

" Resolved, by vote of this meeting that the so- 
ciety's committee be authorized to give by deed to 
the Danbury and Xorwalk Railroad Company a 
right of way across said Society's ground, for the 
consideration of one hundred and fifty Dollars." At 
a meeting held February 19th, 1853: "On motion 
S M. Main and Hiram St. John, were appomted a 
committee to circulate a subscription to raise money 
to build a parsonage house." A meeting held No- 
vember 17th, 1853, voted : " that the society's com- 
mittee be authorized to circulate a subscription 
paper, to raise money to the amount of six hundred 
dollars for the purpose of purchasing Mr. Weed's 
house for a parsonage ; and at a subsequent meeting 
held November 2(3th, the committee were authorized 
to purchase Mr. AVeed's house so soon as six hun- 
dred dollars is pledged for that purpose." It was 
also voted that the "horse sheds be located 40 feet 
south of the butternut tree in the yard, provided the 
ground can be obtained for one dollar.'' 
^ At a meeting held December 7th, 1867, Messrs. 
John R. Sturges, J. O. St. John, and Sturges Ben- 
nett were appointed a committee to ascertain the de- 
nominational preferences of all the members of the 
church, " with a view to a change of name to that of 
Congregational, or that of letting it be the Method- 
ist Protestant Meeting." 

This committee reported to an adjourned meetmg, 
held December 14th, in favor of a change of name, 
and by a unanimous vote the name of the church was 
changed from Methodist Protestant to Congrega- 
tional. It was also voted to petition the next legis- 
lature to change the name of the society in accord- 



136 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

ance with the above vote, and to secure to the Con- 
gregational Society the property now held by the 
Methodist Protestant Society. The committee ai)- 
pointed for this purpose were Messrs. David E. 
Smith, Hiram St. John, and E. G. Bennett. From 
October, 18G5, to May, 1875, the church was sup- 
plied by Rev. Samuel St. John, of Georgetown. 
He w^as siicceeded by Rev, Albert H. Tliompson, 
of Yale Theological Seminary, who supplied the 
pulpit until November, 187G. Mr. Thompson's suc- 
cessor w\ns Rev. C. B. Strong, of Hartford Seminary, 
who remained until the close of 1877. The present 
pastor, Rev. C. A. Northrop, began his ]a])ors with 
the church January 6th, 1878, and was ordained and 
installed as pastor October 2d, 1878. 

The present membership of the church is 70. 
Males, 30 ; females, 49. 

The records of the Methodist Protestant Church 
give no data of the settlement or dismissal of pas- 
tors. From old members of the church, however, 1 
gain the following names of those who served the 
church in this capacity. Tiie list is probably com- 
plete, though the names are not given in the order 
of succession. They w^ere : William M. Still well, 
Stephen Treadwell, Abram Glasgow, Stephen Rem- 
ington, — — Shemeall, Yredenburgh, James 

Summerbell, Aaron G. Brewer, Richard K. Diossy, 
James RoUiston, William McCutcheon, William H. 
Bosely, A\'illiam Cliff, Samuel M. Henderson, Jacob 

Timberman, Wade, Elizur W. Griswold, Merwin 

Lent, AVilliam H. Johnson, John L. Ambler, Joseph 
J. Smith, Joshua Hudson, Thomas K. Witsel, John 
H. Painter, M. E. Rude, William C. Clarke. 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 137 

CHAPTER X. 

HISTORY OF SCHOOLS. 

We have before spoken of the care of our Puiilan 
ancestors to provide for the churcli and tlie ministry 
in their infant settlements. They were equally care- 
ful to furnish them with the school and the teacher. 
If piety was one of the pillars of Democracy, so 
also was intelligence ; and church and scliool were 
alike deemed indispensable to the growth and 
security of the state : hence we find the pioneers of 
Redding making early provision for the establish- 
ment of schools among them. The first recorded 
movement of the parish in the matter was in 1737, 
when, at a parish meeting held December 26th, 1737, 
it was voted to have a i)arish school, and to maintain 
said school by a parish rate. John Read, Joseph 
Lee, Joseph Sanford, John Hull, Nathan Lion, Ste- 
phen Morehouse, and Daniel Lion were the first 
school committee. Tlie meeting also voted : '' that 
said school be divided into three parts, that is to 
say, five months in that quarter called the Ridge, 
and five months on the west side of tlie parish near 
the mill, and two months at Lone town, understand- 
ing that the centre of division is the meeting-house, 
and that Stephen Burr belongs to the west side." 

These were the original school districts of the 
town : in them the first rude school-houses were 
erected, and from the one to the otlier went the 
peripatetic school-master as his duties called him. 
These school-houses were built of loo:s : their furni- 



138 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

ture WHS of the most meagre description, consisting 
oi' a sloi^ing desk of boards affixed to the wall and 
extending around three sides of the building, 
benches of rough-hewn plank, and a planed pine 
board whereon the student " tiggered" with bits of 
charcoal. Nor was the curriculum of the schools 
much more extensive. Reading, writing, and arith- 
metic were all that was then thought necessary for 
the country hoj to know ; further knowledge was 
to be acquired in schools of a higher grade. 

As years passed on, and new families moved into 
the place, the districts became strong enough each 
to support its own school . 

Hence we find a parish meeting held December 
loth, 1742, voting : " that the interest of the school 
money belonging to the parish shall be divided into 
three equal parts for the year ensuing, for the main- 
taining of three separate schools (each to be kept l)y 
a master,) one third part of the money for that part 
of the Parish east of Little Elver, one third part for 
that part of the Parish between Little River and the 
Saugatuck River, and. one third for that part west 
of the Saugatuck. Provided, that each part of the 
Parish as above divided, keep a school as abovesaid 
tliree months in the year ensuing, but if any part of 
the Parish fail in keeping a school as abovesaid, the 
other two parts that keep said school, shall equally 
divide the said money between them, and if two 
parts of the Parish fail in keeping a school as above- 
said, that ptart of the Parish that shall keep said 
school the three months, shall draw the whole of the 
school money." The same districts are defined in 
the appropriation of the school money in 1743 as 



HISTORY OF REDDINO. 139 

being " the school on the West side of Aspetuck 
River, the school by Mill River (Saiigatuck) and the 
school by the Chnrch." 

In 1745 the appj'opriation was made to the same 
districts, with the provision that each slionld " keep 
a school with a school master sufficiently caj)able to 
learn children to Wright and Reade," 

There seems to have been no change in this re- 
spect until 1764, when it was voted : " that the 
school money should be subdivided according to 
the lists within such subdivisions." In 1768 the 
bounds of tlie districts were first set out by a com- 
mittee appointed at town meeting for the purpose. 
This first committee consisted of Stephen Mead, 
Daniel Hill, and Daniel Sanford. The school com- 
mittee for this year, appointed at town meeting, con- 
sisted of seven, and it is ijrobablc that each repre- 
sented a district— -which would give us seven dis- 
tricts in tlie town at that time. 

December 19th, 179,2, the following important vote 
was taken : " that the School money shall be lodged 
with the Treasurer, and he to collect the interest 
arising on the School bonds annually by the first 
day of April, the Interest already arisen and unpaid 
to be collected^ forthwith, and in failure of pay- 
ment of back interest, he to send the bond, or 
^^onds, and collect princi^^al and interest, and to con- 
duct in the same manner on neglect of annual pay- 
ment of interest on said Bonds, and to pay said In- 
terest and School Money to the School Committee 
as it may be aj^propriated by the committee of the 
Districts annually." 



l-tO HISTORY OF REDJJING. 

As to the source or origin of these school bonds, 
or by whom taken, I am nnable to give a positive 
answer. The town of Redding has a school fund of 
$400, distinct from the State fund, and which dates 
back to a j^eriod beyond the reach of memory or 
tradition ; it is more tl)an probable, however, that it 
was the sum realized from the sale of lands in Litch- 
iield County in 1783, called western lands, and 
which was divided among the several towns in pro- 
portion to their poll list and ratable estate for th[it 
year and to be secured and forever improved for the 
use of the schools kept in said towns according to 
law. Redding, unlike most of her sister towns, has 
preserved this fund inviolate, and still uses its pro- 
ceeds in support of her schools. In 1795 came the 
sale of the Western Reserve, and Connecticut's mu- 
nificent grant to her common schools, which has put 
them in the front rank of educational forces, and 
contributed so much to the material prosperity of 
the State, In October of that year the inhabitants 
of Redding met, and formed themselves into a 
school society, in order that they " might have the 
advantage of the monies arising from the sale of 
western lands,'' Peter Sanford, James Rogers, and 
Simeon Munger were the first committee chosen by 
this society. Prior to 1870, the cost of supporting 
the schools above that derived from the school 
funds was borne by the parents or guardians of the 
scholars, but in that year the legislature passed a 
law compelling the towns to maintain free schools, 
and this plan has since been jpursned. Tlie town 
appropriation for schools this year, 1879, is $2500; 



HISTORY OF REDDING. ^^^ 

before 1879, it Avas $3000. The income from the 
School Fund is $9H0.4O. . . • ^i 

There are at present ten school districts m the 
town, and three half districts, named and numbered 
as follows : 

;No. of Ciiildien eim- 
Name. nuratcd in ISIii. 

„ , 30 

District No. 1 Centre 4g 

2 Ri(i(re -J- 

<i " y Conch's Hill /~ 

4 Diamond Hill ^^ 

i> " ") ...Boston iyn 

■' " 6;....Hnll l\ 

7 Umpawang 2,j 

" 8 . . .Lonetown '^^ 

" 9 Pickett's llidge g., 

" 10 Fonndry • • 1'^ 

" 11 . .half district, Cxeorffetovvn ^" 

.. ^o'"' " Florida 40 

<< 13 . '. *. " Hock House •' 

The total number of children enumerated was 
887. The whole number who attended school was 

Messrs. Arthur Hill, AViHiam R. Duncc^ib, and 
Rev X \ Welton comprise the present Board ot 
™ion for the town. William E^ Dnncond) 
and Rev. X. A. Welton are the acting bchooi \ is- 

'^From an early period Redding 1-«^|^-^^^; 
blv known for the number and excellence of hei 
select schools ; some of these were conducted by the 
pastors of the different churches, and others by pro- 
fessional teachers. One of the ^^^^^^^^^^ ^ . f ^^^^ 
schools was that kept by S. Samuel Smith, Lsq. in 
the centre. The Rev. Jonathan Baitlett opened a 
school for boys and young men about 179o, that at- 



l-t- HISTORY OF REDDING. 

tained a high reputation and nourished for a term 
of years ; his schf)ol was kept in his dwelling- 
honse— now the residence of Mr. Lemuel Sanford. 
Tlie tirst boarding-s(?hool in town was opened by Mr. 
Walker Bates about 1825. Mr. Bates was a pupil 
of Mr. Bartletfs, and [i very successful teacher. A 
few years after, Mr. Eli Gilbert opened a select 
school at the centre, wdiich continued in successful 
<)])eration for a terai of years ; and in 1836 two 
schools were established on Kedding Eidge — one 
by Mr. John Osborne, the other by Mr. Aaron B. 
Wilson. 

One of the most noteworthy schools of the town 
was the Redding Institute, founded by Daniel San- 
ford, A.M., in the fall of 1847. Mr. Sanford, after 
receiving a thorough education, and spending some 
years as a teacher at White Plains, N. Y., returned 
to Redding and built tlie large and well-appointed 
school-house adjoining his dwelling. His school 
from a small and feeble beginning grew to be large 
and flourishing, containing at one time forty schol- 
ars, most of them sons of prominent New York and 
Brooklyn families. In 1851 he secured the services 
of Mr. Edward P. Shaw, a graduate of Wesleyan 
University, who continued with him as a teacher un- 
til 18G7, when Mr. Sanford retired, and Mr. Shaw 
became principal and conducted the school success- 
full}^ until 1873, when, owing to a family bereave- 
ment, he was obliged to discontinue it. 

The boarding-school opened by Mr. Burton Brad- 
ley about 1850, and Miss Polly Sellick's boarding- 
school for young ladies, founded in 1814, were sue- 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 143 

cessfiil and well-conducted institutions. Tlie only 
select school at present existing in the town is the 
Misses Sanford's school for young children. 

In 1878 Rev. Aaron S. Sanford, of New Haven, 
donated the sum of live thousand dollars for the en- 
dowment of a High School. This munificent gift 
was accepted by the people of the town, and the 
Hill Academy was incorporated under the laws of 
the State. The trustees of the institution are seven 
in number, viz., Francis A. Sanford, Aaron Tread- 
well, John Todd, X. Alanson Welton, Stephen 
Sanford, Thaddeus M. Abbott, and Arthur B. 
Hill. 

The ofiicers of the corporation are : President, 
Francis A. Sanford ; Vice-President, T. M. Abbott ; 
Secretary, Arthur B. Hill ; Treasurer, Aaron Tread- 
well ; Auditor, Stephen Sanford. The ih'st iDrinci- 
pal of the academy was Mr. T. ^M. W. George, of 
Hartford, who closed his first year s labor July 1st, 
1879. 



CHAPTER XL 

]M A N i; F A (• T V K E S . 

In 1793, under a State law, a specific tax was 
laid on the varions trades and professions, and 
from the grand list of that year we may gather 
accurate knowledge of the number of tradesmen, 
[irtisans, and professional men in the town at that 
time. 



144 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

The following table is j^repared from this list : 



Trade ok Profession. 



ATTORNEYS. 



Thadcleus Benedict. 
S. iSiim. Smith 



niYSICIANS. 



Tliomas Davies. 
Thomas Peck.. . 



TIl.\DERS. 



James Roofers 

Benj. Sail ford & Co.. . . 
Stephen Betts & Co. . . 

William Heron 

Ezekiel Jackson & Co. 
Abijah Parsons 



TAILORS. 



Justus Whitlow 
Joel Byington. . 



CLOTHIER. 

Elislia Bradley 

WHEELWRIGHT. 

Joel Gray . 

COOPER. 

Stephen Gray 

JOINERS. 



p]]i Lyon 

Stephen Lyon. 
Daniel Perry. . 



Tax. 



50 



10 
10 



25 
2) 
25 
25 
25 
25 



Trade or Profession. 



I Tax. 



BLACKSMITHS. 

Aaron Barlow 

Tliaddeus Abbott 

Enoch Merchant 



WEAVERS. 

Chauncey Merchant 

SADULEK. 
Edward Starr 



TANNERS AND SHOEMAKERS. 

Asahel Salmon 

TAVERN-KEEPERS. 



Stephen Belts. . . 
Ezekiel San ford. 
Ezekiel Jackson. 
Abel Burr 



GRIST-MILLS. 

Ephraim Wheeler 

Stephen Burr and Daniel 

Perry 

Seth Meeker & Co 

Crawford «& Sanford 

SAW-MILLS. i 



Stephen & John Fairchild. 

Oliver Sanford 

Barlow & Sanford 

Enos & Seth Wheeler. . . . 



IRON-WORKS. 

Oliver Sanford 



15 
15 
15 
15 



10 



From this date down to 1850 the town made a 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 145 

very creditable advance in mamifactiires. The iron 
smelting works of Oliver Sanford in Sanfordtown 
were one of its earliest and most prominent indus- 
tries. Ore was brought fi'oni Brookfield and Rox- 
biiry in great wagons and smelted at the mills, and 
after smelting was conveyed in the same manner 
to Westport or Norwalk, and shipped to various 
X^oints. TJiis enterj^rise was the pioneer of its kind 
in America, and i)roved quite profitable to its pro- 
.jector. The works were entirely destroyed in the 
great freshet of 1805, and never afterward rebuilt, 
the business being removed to Valley Forge. Full- 
ing-mills were early erected, the first, probably, 
by Abraham Fairchild about 1742, near JN'obb's 
Crook, on the Saugatuck River. The first avooI- 
len-mill was erected in 1812, near the site of the 
old fulling-mill, hj Comstock, Foster & Co. It 
did a prosperous business through the war and fo;- 
some years afterward. It was later bought by Mr. 
Joel Foster, one of the members of the old company, 
who continued the business until the burning of the 
factory in 1843, or 1844. Carriages began to be 
bruit in Sanfordtown as early as 1800, and the busi- 
ness soon became one of the leading industries of 
the town. Ephraim Sanford built the first carriage 
factory in the rear of the house on the corner now 
owned by Mr. Bradley Trea dwell. He was succeeded 
in 1820 by his two sons David and Enoch A. San- 
ford. David Sanford died in 1884, and the business 
was continued by Enoch X. Sanford, the surviving 
partner. A fev*' years after, Daniel Sanford was ad- 
mitted a partner, and the firm entered largely into 
the Southern trade. In this they proved unfortu- 
11 



140 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

nate, and failed. Subsequently Mr. E. A. Sanford 
foi'med a partnership with Charles Dunc(3mb, and 
later with CI. A. Sanford, by whom the business was 
conducted with varying success. In its palmiest 
days this firm did a large business, employing from 
twenty-five to thirty men, and maintaining a depot 
for their goods in New Yoi'k. Mi*. Aaron Bar tram 
built a carriage factory in 1840 (now standing), and 
in company with Mr. Eben AVilson did a large busi- 
ness for a term of years. Mr. Bradley Sanford be- 
gan the manufacture of carriage axles in Sanford- 
town in 1838, and continued it until 1838, when he 
was succeeded by Mr. G. A. Sanford. 

Hat-making w^as at one time a prominent indus- 
try in Redding. To Mr. Billy Comstock is due the 
credit of erecting the first hat inanufacjtory, which 
stood near his house in the Boston district. Mr. 
Daniel Gould had a large hat shop in Lonetown, and 
later Mr. Jesse Banks carried on the business some- 
what extensively in Sanford town. He employed at 
one time from twenty-five to thirty men, and sup- 
plied the Southern and West India market. Mr. 
Milo Lee also carried on the business for a number 
of years, first w ith IMr. Banks, and afterward in a fac- 
tory near his house. Bricks were made at one time 
by Mr. Alanson Lyon, on Redding Ridge ; and in the 
same district a large shirt manufactory was once in 
successful operation, nnder the management of Mr. 
Curtis Fanton, and his son, Henry Fanton. In ISoC) 
the Redding j\Ianufacturing Company was organized 
in Sanfordtown for the manufacture of pins, and 
other small articles in brass. The large building in 
Sanfordtown still known as the p)in factory was 



HISTORY Oi* REDDING. 14? 

built by tills company ; for a time its prospects for 
a successful career were excellent, but owin"- to some 
mismanagement on the part of the directors, it soon 
l)roved a failure. 

The Hill Limekiln in Lonetown is perhaps the 
oldest lime-burning establishment in the State. It 
was probably opened at an early doy by Colonel 
John Read, who was the owner of the tract of land 
in which the quarry is situated. 

In 1810 it came into the possession of John R. 
Hill, a grandson of Colonel Read, who conducted an 
extensive business and acquired a fortune. Mr. 
Hill retii'ed in 1823, and w^as succeeded at different 
period hj his sons Aaron S. Hill, Moses Hill, WiL 
liam Hill, and John L. Hill. These gentlemen con^ 
ducted the business with the same energy and suc- 
cess that had characterized theu^ father's manage- 
ment. Since Mr. John L. Hill's retirement, the bus- 
iness has been conducted, successively, by Messrs. 
Ames & Osborne, Barnes, Smith, and Philo Wood. 

In 1842 Squire James Sanford built a foundry on 
the Asi)etuck River in the Foundry district, and en- 
tered largely into the manufacture of agricultural 
implements. He had before invented an improved 
hay-cutting machine, in which the cutting was done 
by revoMng cylinders furnished with knives, which 
he manufactured here, and which had an extensive 
sale throughout the country. This foundry is al- 
most the only one of the old-time industries of Red- 
ding that remains in successful operation to this day. 

The Aspetuck River, dashing through a gorge in 
this district, furnishes abundant water-power, and 
this the skill and energy of the Sanford brothers has 



148 niSrORY OF REDDING. 

utilized in the rnanufacture of buttons. Their tliree 
button factories have a capacity of between three 
and foirr hnndred gross of buttons per day, emi)loy 
twenty-eight hands, and have made this district one 
of the busiest and most prosperous localities in the 
town. 

The pleasant village of Georgetown, in the western 
part of Redding, owes its existence largely to the 
establishment in its midst of the Gilbert & Bennett 
Manufacturing Company's works. This firm is 
largely engaged in the manufacture of sieves, iron 
wire, wire cloth, galvanized wire netting, ash sieves, 
.and cheese and meat safes. They have a warehouse 
in New York, and at present employ a force of one 
hundred men. Until 1877 they were also engaged 
in the manufacture of glue and curled hair, but at 
that time this part of their business was purchased 
by the J. P. Gage Manufacturing ComjDany, of New 
York, who still continue the business, having added 
to it the manufacture of sand paper. The origin of 
the Gilbert & Bennett Manf . Co. dates from the year 
1818, when Benjamin Gilbert commenced the manu- 
facture of sieves and curled hair. Afterward, his 
sons, Sturges Bennett, and E. O. Hurlbut foi-med a 
co-partnership under the name of Gilbert, Bennett & 
Co., for the manufacture of the above-named arti- 
cles, including glue. In 1874 a fire destroyed the 
main factory, together with a large amount of manu- 
factured stock and machinery, causing a loss of over 
$100,000. 

After the fire the concern was incorporated under 
the name of the Gilbert & Bennett Manufacturing 
Co., with Sturges Bennett as president, David H. 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 14-> 

Miller, secretary, and W. W. Beers as treasurer. 
The works before the fire employed a force of 125 
men, and its manufactured products amounted to 
$500,000 annually. 



CHAPTER XII. 

M I S C E L L A T^ E O IT S . 

A FAVOKiTE dish with the Latin nations is the 
olla podrida— a thing of shreds and patches, com- 
posed of odds and ends of the larder that could be 
utilized in no other way. This chapter is intended 
as a sort of mental olla podrida, and we have no 
doubt will prove as varied, if not as savory, as the 
dish above described. For our first ingredients we 
insert some quaint and curious extracts from the 
town records as follows : 

January 2d, 1778. It was voted, " that the 
selectmen provide a Spade, Pick Axe, and Hoe to be 
kept for the use of digging graves." August 11, 
1783, "Voted, that the town will set up a singing 
meeting. Voted to lay a tax of Id. on a pound to 
pay the Singing Master." March 13, 1787, " Voted 
not to admit Small Pox by innoculation : Voted to 
admit Small Pox by Innoculation next fall." Octo- 
ber 19th, 1795 : ' ' Voted that the select men prosecute 
those persons that cut timber on the highways." 
September 19th, 1798: "Voted that the district to 
which Silas Merchant belongs, shall pay him $2 for 
his dra£2:g." In 1801 the town voted to relin- 



150 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

qnisli to Enocli Mercliant the fine imposed on 
Mm by William Herr»n, Esq., for "admitting pup- 
pet shows into his honse contrary to law." De- 
cember 2()th, 1802, John Read, Jr., was "ex- 
cused" for admitting poppet shows into his honse, 
" on said Read's paying the costs."" In 180-4 it was 
voted, " that this town will not remit to Eljenezer 
Robinson of Danburj^, the fine imposed on him by 
William Heron Esq. for breaking the Sabbath, 
which fine is now uncollected." The same year 
Aaron Read was appointed ' ' Keeper of the Key to 
the Town House." In 1807, it was voted to remit 
the fines — $1.G7 in amount — of Peter Bradley, and 
Nancy his wife, for Sabbath-breaking : also voted, 
that William Heron Esq. be paid $11.08, amount 
of costs in defending a suit brought by William P. 
Jones against him, for a fine collected and j^iaid into 
the treasury of the town. In 1808, voted that the 
town will remit the fines of all those j^ersons Avho 
labored on the Sabbath the 31st of July last past, 
in this town, on i:)ayment of costs. In 1817, Daniel 
Sanford and Aaron Burr were appointed a com- 
mittee to procure the fish called pike, and put in 
Umijawaiig Pond. In 1840 it was voted, that if 
any non-resident should kill birds wdthin the limits 
of the town he should be fined and if he killed rob- 
ins, except in case of sickness, he should be fined 
$o. 

In the records of a town meeting held December 
8th, 180G, occurs tlis following curious entry : 
" Voted, that S. Samuel Smith, Lemuel Sanford, and 
Benjamin Meeker })e a committee to write to Wil- 
liam Crawford requesting him to name the person 



mSTOlir OF REDDING. 151 

belonging to Redding to wliom lie delivered ]\Irs. 
Sarali' Fleming's letter in May last, notifying Inm 
that in case of refusal, the Inhabitants of this town, 
will feel themselves authorized to declare to the 
world, that he never did deliver such a letter to any 
person belonging to Redding." 

Conversing with an aged citizen i)l Redding on 
the generous and coniiding nature of our towns-peo- 
ple, he substantiated the fact by a list of the public 
enterprises which they had aided at different tuues, 
with the amount contributed to each, as follows : 

Enole Bank, ^^ew Haven ^o'llnn 

Viraiuia Land Company onon^ 

Micliioan Land Company :Jn aaa 

Bethel Bank... 4 'UUO 

Midland Railroad ^".""^ 



Makin"- a 



total of : $04,000 



Tlie above in round numl:)ers. He is quite sure 
that there have been enough minor enterprises aided 
to swell the grand total to $100, 000. 

Isaac Ililliard was a poet of considerable local ce- 
lebrity whom Redding had the honor of producing, 
but at this late day I am able to collect but few 
facts and anecdotes concerning him, and most of 
these are gathered from the Federal journals, who 
were his traducers, owing to the fact that Mr. Hil- 
lia,rd, like a, true poet, had espoused the cause of the 
people and was a Whig. The New England Repuh- 
Ucan of August 29 th, 1804, has this to say concern- 
ing him : 



lo2 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

" Foni.OHN IIOPK. 

'■ Isaac HiLLiAiiu, a wretched vagabond, originally 
of Reading, in Fairfield County, has lately published 
a large pamphlet, in which he warmly advocates the 
cause of democracy. To criticise such a work, one 
must sink himself to a level with the author ; that 
is, he must become an idiot, or a lunatic, or a brute. 
The composition is just about on a level with Peter 
kit. John's poetry. The pitiable but wrong-headtHl 
writer is now busied in havvdving his pamphlets 
about the streets. He i:)resents them to every man 
whom he is not afraid to insult, and tells those to 
whom he delivers them, to pay him twenty-five cents 
each, if they like the work ; otherAvise to i-eturn it. 
Never was a man better litted to any cause than Ilil- 
liard to democracy ; and never was a cause better 
adapted to the man engaged in it than democracy to 
nilliard."' 

The jiamphlet referred to above, entitled the 
'' Rights of Sufj'rage," and also Mr. Hilliard''s chief 
poem, ''The Federal Pye,'' the writer has been st) 
fortunate as to j)rocure. They are included in a 
l)amx:)hlet of some seventy pages, j)iinted at Dan- 
bury in 1804. 

A. brief examination of the first-named work 
would force one to conclude that, however brilliant 
a poet Mr. Hilliard may lia\'e been, he was not a 
master of j^rose. His nouns, adjectives, nominatives, 
and verbs are so commingled, that it is difficult to 
separate them ; but in his preface Mr. Hilliard ob- 
serv^es that he lias written for i^ersons of limited ed- 
ucation, and had not therefore adopted a lofty and 



HISTORY OF REDDING. l^-i 

llourisliing style — a fact which explains, perhaps, 
the somewhat nngrammatical construction of his sen- 
tences. An extract from his poem " The Federal 
Pye" we will submit for the criticism of the reader. 
At a Federal "caucus'' one Holdfast, a Federalist, 
arises and opens the proceedings with the following- 
speech : 

" BnETiinEX, 1 know you see my tears. 
The strong expression of my fears. 
There' s no one here that is a stranger — 
Then every one must know our danger. 
Poor j^eople all begin to see 
Their lights are gone, they are not free ; 
Some wdcked men espouse their cause, 
And say they're lost by cruel law^s. 
They have found out, as sure as death, 
That they are taxed for their breath. 
I am very soi'ry that our youth 
Should ever find out so much truth : 
The poor old men now make a noise 
And say w^e tax all their poor boys. 
Somehow or other, those poor souls 
Find other States don't tax theii* polls. 
They say 'tis cruel, and a sin 
To pay for breath which they breathe in — 
And now they all set up this note. 
If they pay taxes they will vote : 
They say they've found what w^e're about — 
We taxed their polls and left ours out. 
That faculties, and the poll tax. 
They wish were under the French axe, 
Together with all those that like 'em. 
And let it have one chance to strike 'em. 
Why, they might just as w^ell have said 
They wished all Federal rulers dead. 
The poor will rise in every nation 
AVhen they are drove to desperation." 
Etc., etc. 



154 IIISTOnr OF REDDING. 

Redding is now liincli sought after by invalids for 
its health-giving properties, but it has been occa- 
sionally visited by epidemics of a fearful character. 
8mall-pox, before Dr. Jenner's discovery of inocu- 
lation, was a fearful scourge, and news of its appear- 
ance in town always excited the wildest apprehen- 
sion. The roads near the infected sx)ot were at once 
fenced up, and no one save the ijhysician and nurse 
was permitted to have any communication with the 
stricken family. If the disease became epidemic, 
X>est-liouses were erected in secluded localities, 
whither the patients were removed. Those dying of 
this disease were placed in a rude coffin, and buried 
at midnight, the clergyman standing at a safe dis- 
tance and reading in a loud voice the service for the 
dead. An epidemic called the " camp distemiDer' 
raged in the town in 1780 — the year succeeding the 
encampment here of Putnam's division. It seems 
to have been of the same general character as the 
dysentery, but from the fact of its raging more vio- 
lently in the neighborhood of the camps was called 
the camp distemj)er. 

A severer scourge was an epidemic that visited the 
town about 1810, and which displayed many of the 
characteristics of Asiatic cholera. Strong men Avere 
stricken down by it in a day, and there was scarcely 
a house where there was not mourning for the dead. 
In one school district alone, Lonetown, it is said 
that twenty died of this disease. The victims of 
this scourge were interred in the old cemetery near 
the Congregational Church. They were buried 
liastih^ at midnight, and the Rev. Nathaniel Bart 
lett, who officiated on the occasion, stood on the 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 1^5 

ledcre, a few yards sontli of the cliurcli, and there 
read the hnrial service, in tones so stentorian tMt 
they were heard by residents on Umpawang Hill, 
fnlly two miles distant. 

An ohl acconnt-boolv miklewed and monhly, its 
leaves discolored by time, and its siting halt dlegi- 
ble from the same canse, may not be snpposed to 
famish very interesting reading; yet if />^« ^T^^^ f 
throngh its pages carefnlly, he may cull mnch that 
is both instrnctiv^e and entertaining. 

\ book of this character, 130 years old, the day- 
book and ledger of a former merchant of the town, 
furnishes the following extracts : 

JciK. 24, 1751. .Jeams Hull Dr. 

£. s. d. 

To 1 ink liorn 3/6, recknino- 3, ^j ^^ ^ 

J 111 V 2 'l"o 2 qts. rum IG/G, 1 do. 11/ G. ...••••-• • • • ■ • • • 

•'is; To 2 (its. rum 22/, Hie sugar G/. rabston o/6... 1 11 G 

"22. To 2 (its. nun 22/ •• • • ., -.a /j 

Sept.24. To 2 hanks Imr. 8/ rum, 2/6 ^ ^ ^ 

Der 3 To 1 ax 5.5/, 1 pint rum 2, 6 ^ ., 

1752. To licker 4/!), Jicker 1/6 

1750. Daniel Gonld, Dr. 

£. .s\ d. 

Dec. 2. To making clock ^ ., ^ 

1751 To i)uncli 2/ .\' " \'." ' \'i^ ' i 1>^, 

Mav 16. To 17'> buckram 16;. 24'' wod.no: 16/ 11^ ^j 

Au^. 22. To punch 6/, rum 2/ G ^ ^^ o 

Seirt.ll. To 1 qt. wine 12/ 

sphere is also credited to Mr. Gold : 

1 cow waid 389 lb., @ 1/9 2o 18 8 

Robert Sedey, Dr. 
Tulv 3 1753. To Testament 25/, 2 trays 12/, 
Oct 22 To 2 lb. nails 14/, 1 comb 14/ 
To pi.rslion 15/, to 10 lbs. hogs fat 20/, 
To 1 brom 6/, to bunit paper b , silk 0/ . 



15G UISTORY OF REDDING. 

Other entries at this i^eriod are : 

1 <ral. molasses at 19/, \ bush, salt 17/, almonek 1/9, Plilip G/, 1 
pail 12/, 1 skiiiiiiier 3/(), 1 basket 9/, 14 yds. (Jaloclio 13/9, 1 tray of 
pins 4/, 2 lbs. brimstnne 13/, To paid llie pedler 34/, to siindrys 
training day 25/G, 1 cake soap 8/, by 3 dear skins £28, Os. Cd., 4 bbls. 
£3, ^ busli. ots 8/, 1 doz. bntins 6,', To poundeg. oF slieep 8/, 1 liogs- 
lied 80/, 1 liankercliief 25/, G pipes 2/6, To writing note 2/, 1 sickle 213/, 
i bl. powder 11/. 1 botle 3/, 8 sqr. glass 40/, 90 lbs. pork £9, 10s. 
9d., 1 pr. cards 45/, 1 lb. Tobacco 4/, 17 bush, rye in Boston cleaned 
£11, 12s. 9d., 1 oz. Tnditro 15/, To charge of writ IG/, 2 (]ts. Metlieg- 
ling 20/, 1 beaver hat £13, 1 ca.ster hat $8, 1 frying pan 78/, i lb. 
allam 4/. 1 Spanish dollar G4/, 1 pr. gloves 23/, 1 cartwhip 5/, 1 pr. 
nee-buckles 6/6, 4 lb. 11 oz. Tobacco 20/10, 3i lbs. hay sead 54/6, 1 
pr. cart wheels £7, 10s. , 1 grindston 50/, 1 lb. shot 3/G, 2 vinegar 
cruses 20/, 1 mustard iiot 10/, -i quire paper 7/, 1 lb. lead 4/, ])oundeg 
of 14 hogs -^9, 4, 2 qt. basons 42/, Bj^ poundeg of Barlow's hors 8/, G 
tacks 1/6, To interest, and fall of money 6/, flints 3/, 2 doz. pewter 
buttons 7/, 35 bush, wheat in Boston cleaned £55, 18s., 3d., 1 bbl. 
pork in Boston £20, 1 hat band 2/. 

Tliis list might be extended indefinitely, but 
enough has been given to show the prices of articles 
in general use at that day. 

A Lodge of Free Masons was once in activ^e oper- 
ation on Redding Ridge, as is shown by the follow- 
ing extract from the records of the Grand Lodge : 

"• Oct. 19th, 1790. A petition from sundry Free- 
masons residing in the towns of Redding and Wes- 
ton, was presented to the Grand Lodge of Free- 
masons then in session at New Haven, praying to 
be formed into a new Lodge, which petition was laid 
over until the next session of the Grand Lodge. At 
the next session of the Grand Lodge of F. & A. M.. 
held at New Haven on the 17th May, 1797, the prayer 
of the petitioners was granted, and a Lodge formed 
under the name of Ark Lodge No, 39, F. & A. M. 
and William Heron was appointed Master." 

At the October session 1804, of the Grand Lodge, 
Lemuel Sanford represented Ark Lodge, also at the 
May Session 1808, the October session 1808, and the 
May Session, 1818. 



HISTORY OF BEDDING. 157 

In 1823, a Lodge was built by the Members of 
Ark Lodge No. 39, on Redding Ridge. This Lodge 
continued its labors until May 12th, 1839, when it 
surrendered its charter to the Grand Lodge. 

On the 23d of Decembei", 1869, the charter was 
again taken up by the following members : David 
H. Miller, Chas. A. Jennings, Chas. H. Canfield, 
Lewis Northrop, Chas. O. Olmsted, David E. 
Smith, H. R. Osborn, E. Thompson, Aaron H. 
Davis, Luzon Jelliff, Seth P. Beers and Waterman 
Bates, and is still working, its present Lodge Room 
being situated in Georgetown. 

A Lodge of Odd Fellows succeeded that of the 
Free Masons on Redding Ridge, but only continued 
in active operation for a few years. 

One of the earliest antislavery societies in the 
State was organized in Georgetown, in December, 
1838. Dr. Erasmus Hudson and Rev. Nathaniel 
Colver were appointed by the Connecticut Anti- 
slavery Society agents for the evangelization of the 
State, and in October, 1838, entered Fairfield County 
in the furtherance of their mission. They lectured 
at Sherman, Danbury, Redding, Georgetown, and 
Norwalk, being driven from each place in succession 
by mobs who abused and threatened, and in some 
cases stoned them. At Norwalk they were burnt in 
effigy, and assailed Avith brickbats and all manner of 
missiles. At Weston they organized the first society 
in the county. In November a call was issued for a 
convention to be held in Redding (Georgetown) De- 
cember 12th, 1838. On the 29th November, Messrs. 
Colver and Hudson v/ent to Georgetown to hold 
meetings. They met on Monday night in the Bap- 



158 HISTORY Of' REDDING. 

tist church, but the mob was so violent that the 
meeting was adjourned until Tuesday evening. All 
through Tuesday there was great commotion among 
the enemies of the cause, and this culminated in the 
evening, vdien a mob comjDosed of men and boys, 
some with painted faces and some w^earing masks, 
surrounded the church, and assailed it with stones, 
clubs, and hideoufi outcries. Being dispersed by the 
citizens the band betook itself to quieter forms of mis- 
(;hief. Dr. Hudson drove to the meeting a beautiful 
milk-wdiite horse, and on that night his tail was 
sheared so closely that it resembled a corn-cob ; 
and other outrages w^ere committed. At this meet- 
ing a society w^as organized, called the Georgetowm 
Anti-slavery Society. The constitution of this 
society bears date December 4tli, 1838 ; its officers 
were : President, Eben Hill ; Secretary, William 
Wakeman ; Treasurer, John O. St. John. 

From the lofty ridges which form a distinguishing 
feature of our landscape, fine views of the Sound, 
the shipjiing, and of a pleasant country of farms may 
be obtained. The " Glen" in the valley of the Sau- 
gatuck is widely famed for its beautiful and pictu- 
resque scenery. Tlie valley of the Aspetuck, in the 
eastern part of the towai, also offers many attractions 
to the tourist. Little River, in the upj)er part of its 
course, flows through a wild and picturesque region, 
and near its western bank may be seen the well-de- 
fined limits of Putnam's camp. IN'ear the camp is 
Phillip' s Cave, so called , according to tradition, be- 
cause in colonial times it afforded shelter to a runa- 
way slave of that name, who lived here for a term of 



IIISrORY OF REDDING. 1^)9 

years, and levied on the fields and ponltry yards of 
the settlers for snbsistence. 

Gallows Hill, in the western part of the town, near 
Redding Station, was the scene of the execution of a 
spy and a deserter in the war of the Revolution. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

REDDING IX THE CIVIL WAR. 

The neAvs flashed over the wires in 18G1 that the 
old flag had been fired upon at Sumter, and that 
war was imminent, was received by the citizens of 
Redding with the same courage and decision that 
had been displayed by their ancestors at the open- 
ing of the Revolution, nearly a hundred years be- 
fore. 

The old flag had been dishonored, and the Union, 
the inalienable birthright bequeathed by the fathers, 
had been declared to be at an end. 

It was felt to be a time for action, for the burying 
of party differences, and for uniting in support of 
the measures which were at once adopted for over- 
coming the threatened evil. Public meetings were 
held, at which sentiments of the jiurest patriotism 
were expressed, and volunteers hastened to enroll 
themselves for the defence of the flag. These acts 
of loyalty were supplemented l)y certain practical 
measures adopted at special town meetings, and 
which can be best exhibited by extracts from the 
town records of the i^eriod. On the 23d of April, 



160 HISTORY OF UEDDINO. 

ten days after Sumter fell, the following " Notice'' 
was issued : 

"The legal voters of the town of Redding are 
hereby notified and warned to attend a special town 
meeting to be held at the Town House in said Town 
on Monday Apr. 29, 1801, at 2 o'clock p.m., to con- 
sider the expediency of appropriating funds to de- 
fray the expenses of the families of those who enlist 
in the service of the U. 8. army under the present 
call of the President for troops. 

" John Edmond, i Selcetmob 

Burr Meeker, - of 

Francis A, Sanford, ) Bedding. 

•• Redding, April 28, 18«1." 

"■ At a special Town Meeting legally warned and 
held in Redding on the 29th day of April, 1801, 
Walker Bates, Esq., chosen Moderator. 

" Voted, unanimously, that an appropriation be 
made from the treasury of the Town, for the fam- 
ilies of those who have enlisted, or may enlist from 
tiie town in the service of the U. S. Government 
under the ^^resent call of the President for troops, 
the same being a call for 7^,000 volunteers for the 
si)ace of three months. 

" Voted, unanimously, that such approj^riation be 
as follows, to wit, three dollars per week for each of 
the wives, and one dollar per week for each of tlie 
children of the several persons enlisting as aforesaid, 
during the time of service of such person under said 
call. 

'-^ Voted, that a committee of three be appointed 
for each grand division of the town, to disburse the 
foregoing approjiriation — such committee to receive 
no pecuniary compensation for their services. 
Sturges Bennett, Thaddeus M. Abbott, and James 
Sanford chosen such disbursing committee. 

" Voted, that the selectmen be instructed to draw 



HISTORY OF REDDING. IGl 

orders on the Treasurer of the Town on application 
of either of the foregoing named committee, in favor 
of sucli as are entitled to an appropriation as afore- 
said, nnder the foregoing vote. 

" Voted, that the selectmen be instructed to call a 
special tOAvn meeting as soon as practicable, for the 
purpose of making an appropriation for those who 
enlist from this town in the service of the U. S. Gov- 
ernment. 

" The above and foregoing is a true record. 

"Attest, Lemuel Sanfokd, 

" Toicii Cleric:' 

A call f(^r additional troops Avas issued by the 
President early in the summer of 18G2, and a draft to 
till it seemed imminent. Under these circumstances 
a special town meeting was held July 26th, 1862, at 
which it was voted, "that the selectmen l)e a com- 
mittee to correspond with the Adjutant-General, to 
ascertain whether if the town furnished its quota: 
under the recent call for additional troops, it would 
exempt the town from a draft under said call," and 
the meeting was adjourned to July 31st, 1862, to await 
the action of the Adjutant-General. His answer be- 
ing in the afRrmativ(,^, the meeting on reassembling, 
July 31st, i)assed this resolution : " Kesolved, That a 
bounty of fifty dollars be offered to every volunteer 
from this town, who shall enlist into the service of 
the United States between the present time and the 
2()th .of August next, under the present call for ad- 
ditional troops, such bounty to be paid to each vol- 
unteer enlisting as aforesaid, on certificate of his ac- 
ceptance from the proper authority when presented 
to the selectmen." A subsequent meeting held 
August 23d extended the time in which the bounty 
12 



102 HISTORY OF BEDDING 

would be paid to September 1st. September Isi, a 
meeting was held for the equalization of bounties, 
and the bounty of |50 was voted to all who had en- 
listed prior to the vote of July 31st, 1862, as well as 
to all who should enlist hereafter, excejDt those en- 
listing under the first call of the President for troops. 
The selectmen were also authorized "to borrow 
such sum of money as might be needed to carry out 
such vote. Mr. John Edmond was also appointed 
an agent for the town to ascertain the full numbers 
of those who had enlisted from the town. Six days 
after, September 6th, another town meeting was held 
and voted an additional bounty of $50 to all who 
had previously enlisted (except under the first call), 
and an additional bounty of $100 to all who should 
thereafter " volunteer to fill up the quota under the 
present call," thus making the l)Ounty jmid each 
volunteer $200. Throughout the war the town was 
anxious to avoid a draft, and made strenuous efforts 
to fill its quota by volunteering. July 13th, 1863, 
when a fourth call for ti'oops was daily expected, a 
town meeting was held, and the selectmen authorized 
to draw from the treasury of the town and pay over 
as a bounty " to each j^e.rson who shall or may be 
drafted under the next call of the United States Gov- 
ernment for troops, and who shall not be able to get 
excused for physical inability, or any other cause, 
the sum of $300, or such less sum as the Secretary of 
War shall fix ui)on for the procuration of a substi- 
tute ;" and Cleorge Osborn, David S. Johnson, and 
Daniel Rider Avere appointed a committee to procure 
recruits. Substantially the same jDlan was pursued 
\)j the town for filling its quota under the various 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 1^3 

calls of the President for troops, and so successfully, 
tliat no draft ever occurred within her limits. The 
sum total of the war expenses of the town is vari- 
ously estimated at from twenty-two to twenty-five 
thousand dollars. 

The war record of Redding, so far as it relates 
to the number of men furnished the General 
(xovernment, is, it is believed, exceeded by but 
few towns in the State. From official returns in the 
Adjutant-General's ofiice, it appears that Redding 
furnished one hundred and eight men to the land 
forces of the United States— more than one fifteenth 
of the entire population of the town, and fully one 
third of all its able-bodied male inhabitants. To this 
number must be added many of her sons avIio en- 
listed in other towns and States. The names of these 
one hundred and eight soldiers constitute a roll of 
honor whose lustre time will not dim, but brighten, 
and which all good citizens will be glad to see pre- 
served in this enduring form. They are given with 
as full details as can be gathered from the somewhat 
meagre returns in the Adjutant-General's office. 

SECOND EEGIMENT (AUTILLEKY). 

1. Andrew H. Sanford, volunteered Jan. 5, 1864, 
was taken sick through fatigue and exposure while 
in Virginia, and died in hospital in Philadelphia, 
June 5, 1864. 

2. Morris H. Sanford, volunteered July 21, 1862 ; 
was made 2d Lieutenant, Co. C; promoted to be 
1st Lieutenant Aug. 1, 1863. Again promoted to be 
Captain. Was wounded in the shoulder at the battle 
of Fisher's Creek. 



164 niSTORY OF REDDING. 

THIRD REGIMENT (THREE MONTHS). MUSTERED IN", 
MAY 14, 1861. 

3. George W. Gould, Co. G. Honorably dis- 
charged Ang. 12, 1861. 

EIFTII REaiMENT. MUSTERED IN Jt^Y 12, 1861, 

4. John H. Bennett, Company A. Transferred to 
Invalid Corps Sept. 1, 1863. 

5. Rufus Mead, Jr., Co. A. Re-enlisted as a vet- 
eran Dec. 21, 1863. 

6. Hezekiah Sturges, Co. A. Died Oct. 14, 1861,^ 
.•and is buried in the Hull Cemetery, Sanfordtown. 

I. Arthur M. Thorp, Co. A. Transferred to the 
Invalid Corps Sept. 1, 1863. 

8. Benjamin F. Squires, Co. A. Served three 
years, and was honorably discharged, 

SIXTH REGIMENT. 3rUSTERED IN OCTOBER 28, 1863. 

9. John Foster, Co. B. 

10. Francis De Four, Co. C. 

II. John Murphy, Co. G. 

SEVENTH REGIMENT. MUSTERED IN SEPTEMBER 5, 

1861. 

12. Andrew B. Nichols, Co. D. Re-enlisted as a 
veteran. Killed at the battle of Drury's Bluff, Ya., 
May 16, 1864. 

13. Oscar Byington, Co. D. 

14. AVilliani Nichols, Co. D, Discharge d for dis- 
ability Jan. 3, 1863. 

15. George W. Peck, Co. I. Enlisted in United 
States Army Nov, 4, 1862. 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 165 

16. Henry Clark, Co, I., recruit. Enlisted Oct. 
30, 1863. 

17. Jerome Pnfoy, recruit. Enlisted l^ov. 6, 
1863. Killed at Olustee, Fla., Feb. 20, 1864. 

18. Emil Durand, recruit. Enlisted Nov. 2, 1863. 

19. H. R. Chamberlain, recruit. Enlisted Nov. 4, 
1863. 

20. Henry D. Harris, recruit. Enlisted Oct. 29, 
1863. 

21. Peter Hill, recruit. Enlisted Oct. 31, 1863. 
Transferred to U. S. Navy Apr. 28, 1864. 

22. Robert Hocli, recruit. Enlisted Nov. 3, 1863. 

23. John Miller, recruit. Enlisted Nov^. 4, 1863. 

24. John H. Thomas, recruit. Enlisted Nov. 3, 
1863. 

25. Antoine Yallori, recruit. Enlisted Oct. 29, 
1863. 

26. William Wilson, recruit. Enlisted Nov. 6, 
1863. 

27. William Watson, recruit. Enlisted Nov. 2, 
1863. Transferred to U. S. Navy Apr. 28, 1864. 

EIGHTH REGIMENT. MUSTERED IX SEPT. 25, 1861. 

28. Aaron A. Byington, Corporal, Co. H. 

29. Lewis Bedient, Co. H. 

30. Thomas Bigelow, Co. H. Re-enlisted as a 
veteran Dec. 24, 1863. 

31. William Hamilton, Co. H. Re-enlisted as a 
veteran Dec. 24, 1863. 

32. William H. Nichols, Co. H. Re-enlisted Jan. 
5, 1864. 

33. Franklin Paine, Co. I. Died March 8, 1862. 



160 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

84. Albert Woodruff, Co. I. Discharged for disa- 
bility May 11, 18G2. 

85. Charles M. Piatt, recruit. Enlisted Feb. 24, 
1864. 

Tn^INTII kegiment. 

86. Michael Dillon, recruit. Enlisted Feb. 17, 
1864. 

TENTH llEGIMENT. MUSTERED IX SEPT. 21, 1861. 

87. Francis H. Grumman, Co. D. Died Apr. 1. 
1864. 

ELEYEXTII REGIMENT. MUSTERED IN OCT. 24, 1861. 

88. j^athan Cornwall, Sergeant, Co. A. Re-en- 
listed Jan. 1, 1864, and promoted to First Lieutenant. 
A prisoner at Andersonville. 

39. Samuel B. Baxter, Co. A. Discharged for dis- 
ability Dec. 4, 1862. 

40. Charles O. Morgan, Co. A. Wounded by the 
fragment of a shell, and discharged for disability 
June 8, 1864. 

41. George Sherman, Co. K, recruit. Enlisted 
Feb. 16, 1864. 

TWELFTH REGIMENT. DATE OF MUSTER FROM 

NOV. 20, 1861, TO JAN. 1, 1862. 

42. George Green, Co. B. Died June 11, 1868, of 
wounds received at Port Hudson. 

FOURTEENTH REGIMENT. 

48. George Lover, Co. A. Mustered in June 16, 
1862. 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 167 

44. Wesley Banks, Co. E. Mustered in Oct. 1. 
1863. Died Feb. 12, 1864, of wounds received at 
Morton's Ford, Va. 

SEVENTEEXTir llEGIMEXT. DATE OF MUSTER FROM 
•lULY 14 TO AUG. 14, 1862. 

45. Waterman Bates, Co. A. Discharged for dis- 
ability Dec. 18, 1863. 

46. Edmund Treadwell, Co. D. Taken prisoner in 
Florida. 

47. George W. Banks, Sergeant, Co. G. Dis- 
charged Sept. 15, 1862. 

48. David S. Bartram. Enlisted as a private in 
Co. G., Aug. 16, 1862. Promoted to 2d Lieutenant 
May 8, 1863. Participated in the battle of Chancel- 
lorsville ; and was taken prisoner at Gettysburg, 
July 3, 1863. Was an inmate of rebel prisons for 
twenty-two months, experiencing in succession th(^ 
horrors of the Libby Prison at Richmond, and of the 
prison pens at Danville, Macon, Savannah, Charles- 
ton, Columbia, and Goldsboro. He was paroled 
March 1, 1865, near Wilmington, IN". C, and succeed- 
ed in reaching the Union lines at the latter place. 

49. Morris Jennings, Co. G. Discharged for dis- 
ability March 26, 1863. 

50. James M. Burr, Co. G. Discharged for dis- 
ability March 9, 1863. 

51. Martin Costello, Co. G. Taken prisoner. 

52. Andi-ew D. Couch, Co. G. Killed at Chancel- 
lorsville May 2, 1863. 

53. John W. De Forrest, Co. G. Discharged for 
disability Apr. 4, 1863. 



1G8 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

54, Edmund Godfrej^, Co. G. Discharged for 
disability March 9, 18(38. 

55. George Hull, Co. G. 
r^Q. Burr Lockwood, Co. (t. 

57. John Lockwood, Co. G. 

58. Aaron Peck, Co. G. 

50. John M. Sherman, Co. G. Discharged for 
disability Dec. 10, 1802. 
60. George Whalen, Co. G. 



TWENTY-THIRD IJEGTMENT. DATE OF MUSTER FROM 
AIG. ]5 TO SEPT. 20, 1862. 

61. David H. Miller, Major of the regiment. 
Discharged Aug. 31, 180o. 

62. Obadiah R. Coleman, Co. D. Discdiarged 
Aug. 31, 1863. 

63. Charles A. Gregory. Discharged same date. 

64. George W. Gould, Corporal, Co. E. Dis- 
charged Aug. 31, 1863. 

65. Azariah E. Meeker, Co. E. Discharged Aug. 
31, 1863. 

Q)Q>. Frederic I). Chapman, V.o. E. Discharged 
Aug. 31, 1863. 

67. Henry H. Lee, Co. E. Discharged Aug. 31, 
1863. 

68. Charles Albin, Co. E. Discharged Aug. 31, 
1863. 

60. Edward Banks, Co. E. Discharged Aug. 31, 
1863. 

70. Henry W. Bates, Co. E. Discharged Aug. 31, 
1863. 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 169 

71. Charles H. Bates, Co E. Discharged Aug. 31, 
1863. 

72. Smith Bates, Co. E. Discharged Aug. 31, 1863. 

73. Lemuel B. Benedict, Co. E. Discharged Aug. 
31, 1863. 

74. Peter W. Birdsall, Co. E. Discharged Aug. 
31, 1863. 

75. William F. Brown, Co. E. Discharged Aug. 
31, 1863. 

76. Henry F. Burr, Co. E. Discharged Aug. 31, 
1863. 

77. Martin V. B. Burr, Co. E. Discharged Aug. 
31, 1863. 

78. Aaron Burr, Co. E. Discharged Aug. 31, 1863. 

79. Ammi Carter, Co. E. Died Aug. 12, 1863. 

80. William Coley, Co. E. Discharged Aug. 31, 
1863. 

81. Cyrus B. Eastford, Co. E. Discharged Aug. 
31, 1863. 

82. William Fanton, Co. E. Discharged Aug. 31, 
1863. 

83. Charles A. Field, Co. E. Discharged Aug. 
31, 1863. 

84. Samuel S. Gray, Co. E. Discharged xVug. 31, 
1863. 

85. James F. Jelliif, Co. E. < Discharged Aug. 31, 
1863. 

86. Charles Lockwood, Co. E. Discharged Aug. 
31, 1863. 

87. Elihu Osborne, Co. E. Discharged Aug. 31, 
1863. 

88. John Osborne, Co. E. Discharged Aug. 31, 
1863. 



170 HISTORY OF REDDINO. 

89. Henry Parsons, Co. E. Discharged Aug. 31, 
1863. 

00. Henry Piatt, Co. E. Discharged Aug. 31. 
1803. 

91. Sanford J. Piatt, Co. E. Discharged Aug. 31, 
1803. 

- 92. James J. Ryder, Co. E. Discharged Aug. 31, 
1863. 

03. George E. Smith, Co. E. Discharged Aug. 
31, 1803. 

94. Anton Stommel, Co. E. Discharged Aug. 3], 
1863. 

05. Jacob B. St. John, Vo. E. Discharged Aug. 
31, 1803. 

00. Ralph S. Meade, Co. U. Discharged Aug. 31, 
1803. 

07. Henry Wheelock, Co. G. Discharged Aug. 
31, 1803. 

98. George S. Tarl)ell, Co. G. Discharged Aug. 
31, 1803. 

99. Almon S. Merwin, Co. G. Discharged Aug. 
31, 1803. 

100. Lyman Whitehead, Co. K. Discharged 
Aug. 31, "^1803. 

101. Seth P. Bates, Sergeant, Co. E. Promoted to 
1st Lieutenant. Discharged Aug. 31, 1803. 

TWENTY-NINTH KEGOIPZNT (COLORED). MUSTEKED 
IN MARCH 8, 1864. 

102. John H. Hall, Co. A. 

103. John M. Coley, Co. E. 

104. Theodore Nelson, Co. E. Died Apr. 6, 1804. 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 



171 



105. Lafayette S. Williams, Co. E. 

106. Edward Yoorhies, Co. E. 

107. Joseph F. Butler, Corp., Co. G. 

108. Henry B. Pease, Co. G. 

109. Cato Johnson, Co. G. 

On February 4, 1862, a meeting was held in George- 
town for the purpose of electing officers for Co. E., 
8th Regt., 2d Brigade, Conn. State Militia, the 
Company being known as Co. E., National Guard. 

David H. Miller was elected Captain Eedding. 

Hiram St. John " " 1st Lieut Wilton. 

Geo. M. Godfrey " " 2d Lieut 

John N. Main " " 1st Sergt Redding-. 

^^ Jas. Corcornn " " 2d " Wilton. 

Lewis Northrop " " 3d '" W^eston. 

David S. Bartram " " 4th " Redding. 

Aaron O. Scrilmer " " 5th " Wilton. 

Wm. D. Gilljert " " 1st Corpl 

Aaron H.Davis " " 2d " Redding. 

A lonzo Dickson " " 3d " " 

Jereni'h R. Miller " " 4th " Wilton. 

Edw'd Thompson " " 5ih " Redding^. 

SethP. Bates " " 6th " 

j. Geo. W. Gould " " 7th " 

Albert D. Sturges " " 8th " Wilton. 

PRIVATES. 

John W. Meafl Ridgefield. 

Moses Comstock W^ilton. 

James Lobdell " 

James F. JellifE Weston. 

Hezekiah B. Osborn Redding. 

Joseph R. Lock wood Wilton. 

Henry Parsons Redding. 

Wm. H. Canfield " 

Minot S. Patrick 

Cliarles A. Jennings W^ilton. 

Edwin Gilbert Redding. 

David E. Smith 

Hiram Cobleigli " 

Samuel A. Main " 

Anton Stommel " 

George L. Dann Wilton. 

Jonathan Betts Weston. ' 



172 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

Charles Olmsted Wilton. 

Cliarles Albiii Keddiug. 

Fred. D. Cliapmau " 

Ilenrv Ilolnnan " 

Win."B. Smitli 

Will. E. Brothwell Wilton. 

Azariah E. Meeker Kedding. 

Cliarles S. Gregory " 

Charles S. Meeker " 

Charles H. Downs " 

Wni. Coley 

Lorenzo Jones " 

Henry F. Burr " 

Obadiali P. Coleman " 

Cliarles H. Canfield " 

John L. Godfrey Wilton. 

Sylvester Albin Redding. 

The Company uniformed itself and drilled nntil 
August, 1862. When Governor Bucldngham called 
for troops to serve for nine months, the entire com- 
mand volunteered its services, and was accepted. 
The company was immediately recruited up to 108 
men, and reported for duty at Camp Terry, Nev/ 
Haven, Avhere it was mustered into the U, S. service 
MS Co. E., 23d Regt. Conn. Vols. On the forma- 
tion of the 23d Regt., Capt. Miller was promoted 
to be Major of the regiment. Geo. M. Godfrey was 
elected Captain of Co. E., to fill the vacancy caused 
by the promotion of Capt. Miller ; and John N, Main 
promoted to 2d Lieutenant, to fill vacancy caused by 
the promotion of Lieut. Godfrey. 

The comj)any was sent with the regiment from 
New Haven to Camp Buckingham, on Long Island, 
g.nd from tlience by steamer Che Kiang to JN'ew Or- 
leans, where it was embodied in the 19tli Army Corps, 
under Gen. Banks. It was engaged at Lafourche 
Crossing, La., on June 21, 1863, Avith a superior force 
of the rebels, but came out victorious. 



HTSTORY OF REDDING. 17:3 

The company was mustered out of the U. S, ser- 
vice at New Haven, Sept. 3, 1863, after, a service of 
nearly thirteen months. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

THE EARLY FAMILIES OF REDDING. •'' 
ADAMS. 

Joseph Adams removed when a young man from 
Boston to Fairfield, and married, soon after, Joanna 
Disbrow, of Fairfield. About 1760 he removed to 
Redding, and settled in Lonetown, on the farm now 
owned by his grandson Stephen. His children were : 
Stephen, bap)tized August 15, 1762. Hezekiah, bap- 
tized September 30, 1764. Ellen, bax)tized Novem- 
ber 10, 1765. Abigail, baptized March 6, 1768. 
Joseph, baptized April 28, 1771. Israel, baptized 
January 10, 1773. Aaron, baptized July 16, 1775. 
Nathan, baptized September 6, 1778. Of these 
children, Stephen enlisted in the Continental Army 
and never returned, Hezekiah married Betty Par- 
sons, and had children : — Betsey, who married John 
Gray, and settled in Norwalk ; Stephen, now living 
in Redding, at the age of eighty-nine ; Lemuel, noAv 
liviug in Redding, aged eighty-six ; Aaron, who re- 

* These notes, arrano^ed alphabetically, are not intended as com- 
plete histories of the iamilies mentioned, but rather as. s-ketches of 
the early settlers of the town, and as aids to the <renealo<i;ist in his 
researches. For complete histories, the inquirer sbould consult the 
ancient records of Norwalk, Stratford, Fairfield, and Daubury, as well 
as those of Reddinjr. 



174 HISTORY OF REUDINO. 

moved to tlio West ; and Elinor, who married Hawley 
Judd. It is related of Ilezekiali Adams, that, too 
young to enlist as a soldier in the Revolutionary 
Army, he entered the service as a teamster, and on 
one occasion drove a wagon, loaded Avith Spanish 
milled dollars, to Baltimore. 

Abraluim Adams, l)rother of Joseph, was contem- 
porary with him in Redding. His wife was Sarah 
— — . Their children were : Ann, baptized March 
G, 1708. Deborah, baptized April 28, 1771. Sarah, 
baptized July 31, 1774 ; died in infancy. Sarah, 
baptized October 20, 1776. Eli, baptized January 30, 
1780. Family record mentions a son Abraham. 

BAXKS. 

Jesse BAisrKS, son of Joseph Banks, of Fairfield, 
removed to Redding at an early day ; married, June 
11, 1763, Mabel Wheeler (town record says MeJiit- 
able Wheeler). Their childi-en Avere : Hyatt, born 
December 9, 1764. Jesse, born October 29, 1766. 
Joanna, born July 27, 1768. Mabel, born October 2, 
1772 ; died in infancy. Mary, born June 23, 1774. 
Mabel, born November 17, 1776. 

Jesse married, December 15, 1787, Martha Sum- 
mers. Mabel married Ebenezer Foot, August 29, 
1797. Setli Banks also apj)ears in Redding contem- 
porary with Jesse ; married Sarah Pickett Novem- 
])er 20, 1766, and had children : Mehitable, born 
January 15,. 1768, and Thomas ; and i)erhaps others. 

BARLOW. 

Tjie Barlow family in Redding is descended from 
John Barlow, who appears in Fakfield as early as 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 175 

J (568, and died in 1074. Samuel Barlow, son of Sam- 
uel Barlow, of Faii'field, grandson of John Barlow, 
lie a son of tlie lirst settler of tliat name, removed to 
Redding about 1740, and settled in what is now Bos- 
ton district, near the present residence of Bradley 
Hill. He married, first, Eunice, daughter of Daniel 
Bradley, of Fairfield, August 2, 1731. Their cliil- 
dren were : Daniel, born ISTovember 24, 1734. Ruha- 
mah, born January 22, 1737. James, born January 29, 
1739. Jabez, born March, 21, 1742. After the death 
of his first wife, Samuel Barlow married Esther, 
daughter of Nathaniel Hull, of Redding, August 7, 
1774. She died August 28, 1775, aged fifty-four 
years. Their children were : Nathaniel, born May 13, 
1745. Aaron, born February 11, 1750. Samuel, 
Iwrn Ajjril 3, 1752. Joel, the poet, born March 24, 
1754. Huldah, born . Mr. Samuel Bar- 
low purchased his farm of James Bradley for 
£2500. It ccnisisted of 170 acres, with "buildings 
thereon,'' and was bounded on the north by the 
first cross highway from the rear of the long lots — 
without doubt the road before mentioned leading 
from Boston through the centre to Redding Ridge. 
" This northern boundary," says Mr. Hill, " together 
with the familiar names of the old owners of prop- 
erty on the other ' side of the farm, and also the 
names of such familiar localities on the farm as ' the 
boggs,' and the ' flat ridge,' and the 'up and down 
road, leading to each from the main road, mark this 
farm purchased by Samuel Barlow as being unmis- 
takably the present property of Bradley Hill, and 
tlie heirs of Gershoni Hill. There was on it at the 
time a good substantial dwelling-house of respecta- 



176 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

l)le size, erected l^y a 2>i'evions owner, and which 
stood about four hundred feet west of the present 
residence of Bradley Hill, on the same side of the 
street. The house was demolished in 1823. Having 
purchased this property January 2, 1749, he un- 
doubtedly located, his family on it the following- 
spring, as in subsequent deeds he is recognized as a 
resident of the " Parish of Reading." It was here 
that Aaron, Samuel, Joel, and Huldah were born. 
It was here he lived and died, and from here he 
was buried in the old cemetery west of the Congre- 
gational Church in Redding Centre." 

Of the children of Samuel Barlow, Daniel and 
Ruhamah died early. James settled in Ridgefield, 
on a farm of 130 acres conveyed to him by his father 
March 30, 1770. He had four children : Samuel, 
who removed to the South ; Lewis, Abigail, and 
James, who settled in Vermont. Jabez, the young- 
est son by the first wife, settled in Ohio. 

Nathaniel Barlow married Jane Bradley, who was 
born May, 1744. Their children were : Gershom, 
born October 21, 1765 ; died of consumption Septem- 
ber 24, 1794. Esther, born September 30, 1767 ; a 
deaf mute ; died May 10, 1783. Sarah, born January 
16, 1770 ; died April 11, 1845. Jonathan, born April 
14, 1772 ; died Augnst 28, 1775. Betsey, born Aug- 
ust 2, 1778 ; died September 9, 1864. Huldah, born 
April 3, 1780 ; a deaf mute, died August 29, 1787. 
Mr. Nathaniel Barlow died December 26, 1782. 

Aaron Barlow settled in Redding, on Umpawaug 
Hill, on a farm purchased by his father several years 
before. He was a man of ability, tall, and of impos- 
ing bearing, and served in the capacity of a colonel 



HISTORY OF BEDDING. 177 

ill the Revolution. lie removed to Norfolk, Va., and 
died there of yellow-fever. His children were : 
Elnathan, who died young. Elnathan, died in the 
war of 1812. Samuel, removed to Ohio. Stephen 
was a lawyer in Ohio. Daniel, lived and died in 
Redding. Aaron, died at sea. Esther, died at 
IS'orfolk, of yellow-fever. Joel, died in Redding. 
Rebecca, lived and died in Redding ; and Thomas, 
called after Thomas Paine by his uncle Joel. 

Thomas was educated and adopted by his uncle, the 
2:)oet, and accompanied him to France as his private 
secretary. He was also his companion on the fatal 
journey to Wilna. After the death of his uncle, 
Thomas returned to America and established himself 
as a lawyer in Pittsburg, Pa., and died there. 

Samuel Barlow, the third son by the second wife, 
^vas a soldier in the Revolutionary Army, and died 
at Rhinebeck, X. Y., on his return from the expedi- 
tion against Ticonderoga. A stone to his memory 
was erected in the old cemetery in Redding, near the 
Congregational Church, and which is still standing. 

Of Joel Barlow, the poet, a full account is given 
elsewhere. 

BARTLETT. 

Rev. Nathaniel Baktlett, second pastor of 
the Congregational Church in Redding, became a 
resident in 1753, and so remained until his death in 
1810. He married, June 13, 1753, Mrs. Eunice Rus- 
sell, of Branford, Conn. Their children were : Rus- 
sell, baptized June 9, 1754. Daniel C, baptized 
January 16, 1757. Anne, February 25, 1759. Eu- 
nice, April 26, 1761. Jonathan, October 14, 1764. 
13 



178 HISTORY OF HEDDINO. 

Lucretia, March. 27, 1768. Rnssell married, February 

28, 1776, Eacliel Taylor, and had children : Clare, 
baptized March 30, 1777, and Flora, baptized August 

29, 1779. Daniel C. married Esther Read January 
7, 1778, and settled in Amenia, IN". Y., where some 
of liis descendants now reside. Rev. Jonathan 
married, first, Roda, daughter of Lemuel Sanford ; 
second, Betsey Marvin, of Wilton ; and, third, 
Abigail, daughter of Lemuel Sanford. He had no 
children. 

Sketches of Rev. Jonathan Bartlett, and of his 
father. Rev. Nathaniel Bartlett, are given in the his- 
tory of the Congregational church. 

BARTKAM. 

David Baktkam removed from Fairfield to Red- 
ding as early as 1733, in wdiich year he appears as 
surveyor of highways. He was a farmer, and settled 
in Lonetown. He had five sons and three daughters 
born in Fairfield, viz., David, Paul, James ; Daniel, 
born October 23, 1745 ; John, INIabel, Hannah, and 
Betsey. All the sons settled in Redding. David 
married, April 30, 1762, Phebe Morehouse, by whom 
he had Joel, David, John, Jonathan, Hulda, Hepsy, 
and Phebe. (Family record.) Paul married, Sep- 
tember 19, 17.56, Mary Hawley. Their children were : 
Joseph, born January 28, 17o8 ; died in infancy. 
Mary, born May 12, 1760. Sarah, born August 
6, 1762. Eunice, born January 3, 1765. Eli, born 
March 30, 1767. Ruth, l^orn January 7, 1769. 
Ezekiel, born July 9, 1770. (Town record.) Ezra, 
baptized May 9, 1773. Joseph, baptized March 
10, 1776. (Family record mentions a daughter 



HISTORY OF BEDDING. 1?9 

Olive.) Of these children, Mary married Jabez 
Burr, and removed to Clarendon, Yt. Sarah 
married Milo Palmer, and removed to the same 
place. Ennice married Daniel Parsons, of Red- 
ding. Eli married Dolly Lyon, of Redding ; and 
about 1804 removed to DelaAvare Co., N. Y. His 
children were William, Belinda, Phebe, and Lodema. 
Ezekiel married Esther, daughter of Jonathan Par- 
sons, of Redding. Their children Avere : Mary, Jared, 
Milo, Clarissa, Elizabeth, Jehu, Sarah, Elias, Ezra, 
Phebe, and Noah. One of his sons, Jehu, studied 
law and rose to eminence in the j)rofession ; was 
judge, representative, and senator. Ezekiel moved 
to Ohio at an early day, and settled in Marion, where 
he resided until his death, March 15, 1845. Ezra 
was a sailor ; married Elinor, daughter of Chauncey 
Merchant, of Redding, and quitting the sea, removed 
to Delaware Co., N. Y., where he died shortly 
after, leaving children— Joel M., Ezra, Uriah, and 
Lucy, Joseph removed first to Vermont, and after- 
ward to Tioga Co., N, Y. Olive married Justus 
Stillson, of Redding, and removed to Groton, N. Y. 

James Bartram, son of David, settled in Redding. 
Was a private in the Revolution. Married Hannah 
Morehouse, who became the mother of twenty-one 
children, ten only of whom survived. These were : 
Isaac, born April 15, 1758. Noah, born 1760. 
James, born 1770. Aaron, born February 21, 1784. 
Lucy, Hannah, Betsey, Irena, and Anna. 

Of these children, Isaac settled in Redding ; mar- 
ried Molly Hamilton, by whom he had seven chil- 
dren—Isaac, Harry, David, Willis, Chasie, Lucy, 
Polly, and Iluldah. Aaron also settled in Redding, 



ISO niSTORT OF REDDING. 

niarried Eunice Jenkins, and raised a large family of 
children. 

Daniel, fourth son of David, also settled in Red- 
ding, was a tanner and currier by trade, and built 
the first works of the kind in t]ie town, on the 
ground now occupied by A^alter M. Edmonds for 
the same purpose. He married, October 10, 17(58, 
Ann Merchant, of Redding. Their children were : 
Esther, born April 10, 1770. Gurdon, born October 
25, 1771 ; died in infancy. .Vnna, born January 23, 
1773 ; died in infancy. Elinor, born March 1, 1774 ; 
died in infancy. Crurdon, born September 21, 1770. 
Anna, born August 10, 1778 ;. married — — Mead ; 
settled in Ridgefield. Elinor, born February 4, 
1780 ; died in infancy. Uriah, born January 9. 

1782. Elinor, born Octol)er 28, 1783 ; married 

J^asli ; settled in Marion. Julilla, born November 

12, 1785 ; married Bangs ; settled in Central 

IN". Y. Levi, born November 20, 17S7. Pliebe, 

born September 19, 1790; married Curtin. 

David, born June 5, 1795. At the time of Try on' s 
inv-asion, Avith nearl\^ every other man in the town 
capable of bearing arms, Daniel Bartrara joined the 
militia and marched to the defence of Danbury. 
Being absent several days, he sent word to his wife 
that she must get some one to take the hides from 
tiie vats or they would spoil. There was not a man 
to be found ; and so the brave woman, leaving her 
four small children to amuse one another, caught 
her horse, hitched him to the bark mill, ground the 
bark, took the hides out, turned and repacked them 
and had just seated herself at the dinner-table when 
her husband rode up, having gained leave of absence 



IirSTORY OF REDDING. 181 

for the purpose of attending to the matter. On the 
3d of May, 1810, Daniel Bartram left Redding, ac- 
comimnied by his wife, his four children, Uriah, 
Levi, Phebe, and Davdd, and several of his neigh- 
bors, for what was t\\e\\ the wilderness of Ohio. 
They arrived in Madison, Lake Co., Ohio, on the 
loth of June, where they settled, and where man 3^ 01 
their descendants now reside. Daniel Bartram died 
in Madison, May 17, 1817. His widow died August 
8, 1885. Gurdon Bartram, the eldest son of Daniel, 
remained in Redding. He married, January 1, 1804, 
Lorraine, daughter of Oliver Sanford, of Redding. 
Their children were : Aaron R., Lucy A., Barney, 
Coley, Betsey, Oliver, Daniel S., Ephraim, Levi, 
Frederick, Mary, and Julia. Gurdon Bartram died 
April 12, 1845, at the old homestead now occupied by 
Ills grandson David. Uriah, second son of Daniel, 
settled in Madison, Ohio, where he died quite sud- 
denly of heart-disease, June 28, 1830, leaving a wife 
and six children. Levi, third son of Daniel, settled 
in Madison, Ohio ; married, June 17, 1813, Betsey 
Nott Walker, avIio was born in Ashford, Conn., 
April 29, 1790. Mr. Bartram died of heart-disease 
May 12, 1857, leaving a family of five children. His 
widow died June 13, 1863. David, fourth son of 
Daniel, also settled in Madison, and subsequently re- 
moved to Trumbull, Ashtabula Co., Ohio. He mar- 
ried, March 12, 1818, Elizabeth Gregory, formerly 
of Hari)ersfield, jNT. Y. They had six children. Mr. 
Bartram died of heart-disease September 2, 1875. 

John Bartram, son of David the first, married, Sep- 
tember 19, 175G, Charity Bulkley. Family recoid 
mentions two children, Sally and Samuel. 



182 HISTORY OF REDDING. 



BATES. 

Elias Bates was received to cliiircli-membersliip 
in Redding January 19, 1745. His wife, Sarali, 
March 4, 1748. There is no hint of liis previous res- 
idence, and he probably came here direct from Eng- 
land. His children recorded in Redding were : .lui-i- 
tus, ])aptized, July 26, 1747 ; and Sarah, l)ax)tized 

February 2, 17o2 ; by a second wife, Tabitha , 

Walker, baptized January 6, 1760. Elias, bax)tized 
February 16, 1761, died in infancy. 

John Bates, probably son of Elias, married Esther 

. Their children were : Ezra, baptized March 

23, 1760, died in infancy. John, baptized July 25, 
1762. Sarah, baptized May 5, 1764. Esther, bap- 
tized August 23, 1767. Nathan, baptized March 25, 
1770. Aaron, July 1, 1772. Martha and Slawson, 
January 26, 1778. * 

Justus Bates, son of Elias, married Hannah Coley, 
May 23, 1770. They had one child, Elias, baptized 
October 4, 1772, who married, November 9, 1793, 
Lydia Andrews, of Redding, and was the father of 
three children — Walker, born June 4, 1796 ; Ama- 
ziah, born May 17, 1801 ; and Harriet, born May 21, 
1804. 

BEACH. 

John Beach, missionary of the Church of Eng- 
land in Redding, was born in Stratford, Conn., 
October 6, 1700. His father was Isaac Beach, son of 
John Beach who came from England in 1643. He 
graduated from Yale College in 1721. He married, 
lirst, Sarah , Avho died in 1756 ; and, second, 



-I QO 

UISTOBY OF REDDING. 

Abicvail Holbrook, who after his death returned to 
De by. He had ia all nine children. '^^^^'^^ 
had iLilleswere : Joseph ^^^^^^f^''^^: 
Phebe, born 1729 ; married Daniel Hul o Redding , 
2d 1751, leaving a son Abel. John, bom 1734 , 
tw PWe Curtis ; died in 1791. Lazams, boni 
173(5 • had two children, viz., Lazarus, bom 17W), 

^ti::; Stl^Ms fathers ^nd in Redding at 
Hopewell, near which he built his house. Lazaiiis 
Beach, Ji, was of a literary turn, and ecUted a paper 
at Bridgeport, and afterward at AVashmgton, D. C 
On hfe ioumey to the latter place he lost his trunk 
oi valise containing the Beach .-nuscnpts, and al 
his materials gathered for the purpose of ^vl.tln8 a 
memoir of his distinguished S™-""*!! ,f %""' 
the house now standing near Mr. <-°«i«y ^^ jf^"" 
Beach built the house now occupied by Hu 1 «■ 
Sley. The Rev. John Beach lived about thirty 
to forty rods south of the church, probably on the 
Jte of the old Captain Hunger house, -l"* has ong 
since disappeared. The *'eH is stiU used Ij Mu E. 
P Shaw. Lucv, daughter of the Rev. John Beacli, 
man ed Rev. M . Townsend, and was lost at sea on 
hrm sa°-e to Nova Scotia, probably at the time of 
th gre'fxodus of Loyalists after the Revolution. 
The mother of James Sanford, Sen., was the daugh- 
ter of Lazarus and grand-daughter of Rev. John 
Beacli. 

BENEDICT. 

The Benedicts were a Norwalk family and settled 
quite largely in Ridgetield. The first of the name 



184 HLSTORY OF REDDING. 

whom I iincl in Redding was Thaddeus Benedict, 
who was a lawyer and town-clerk for a term of 
years. His house stood in the lot adjoining the 
Congregational parsonage, near the site of the pres- 
ent residence of Joseph Squire. His law office was 
under the great elm in front of his house. He mar- 
ried Deborah Read, July 12, 177i), daughter of Col- 
onel John Read, who bore him several children. 

I5ETTS. 

Lieutenant Stephen Betts, a prominent char- 
acter in the Revolution, lived on Redding Ridge, in 
a house that stood on the corner, nearly opposite the 
former residence of Francis A. Sanford. He was an 
active Whig, and was taken i)risoner by the British 
on their march to Danbury in 1777. He had a scm 
Daniel, and two or three daughters, of whom I have 
no record. His son Daniel was a merchant for a. 
while on Redding Ridge and tJien removed to New 
Haven, where some of his children are now living, 

r.URK. 

Among the earliest settlers of Redding were Jehu. 
Stephen, and Peter Burr, sons of Daniel Burr, of 
Fairlield, and brothers of the Rev, Aaron Burr, 
President of Princeton College. They all apiDear at 
about the same time, viz., 1730. In October of that 
year Stephen Burr was elected a member of the first 
Society Committee of the parish. He married Eliza- 
beth Hull June 8th, 1721. Cliildren : Grace, born 
December 12th, 1724. Elizabeth, born January 
17th, 1728. Hezekiah, born September 1st, 173(). 
Sarah, born November 9th, 1732. Martha, l)oru 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 185 

March 24th, 1735. Esther, born February 5th, 1748. 
Rebecca. He married, second, Abigail Hall, of New 
Jersey. He lived in a house that stood where Dr. 
Gorhani later built his residence. His only son, Hez- 
ekiali, died December, 1785, unmarried. Of the 
daughters, Grace married Daniel Gold, Elizabeth 
married Reuben Squire, Sarah married Joseph 
Jackson, Martha married Zacariah Summers. 
Esther married Antony Angevine, and Rebecca, Seth 
Sanford. Deacon Stephen Burr died in 1779. Of 
him Colonel Aaron Burr wrote in his journal in 
Paris : " My uncle Stephen lived on milk punch, 
'and at the age of eighty -six mounted by the stirrup 
a very gay horse, and galloped off with me twelve 
miles without stopping, and was I thought less 
fatigued than I." 

Peter Burr first appears in Redding as clerk of a 
society meeting held October 11th, 1730. His chil- 
dren were : Ellen, bai^tized September 19, 1734. 
Sarah, baptized February 21st, 1736. Ezra, bap- 
tized January 2d, 1737. Edmund, baptized Septem- 
ber 28th, 1761. Peter Burr died in August, 1779. 
His children shortly after removed to Virginia. 

Jehu Burr and wife were admitted to church-mem- 
bership in Redding December 24th, 1738. None of 
his children were recorded in Redding, and none, so 
far as known, settled there. He ow^ned property in 
Fairfield, and probably spent the last years of his 
life there. 

Jabez Burr, son of Joseph Burr, of Fairfield, and 
his wife Elizabeth, appear in Redding as early as 
1743. Their children were Elijah, baptized May 
15th, 1743. Nathan, born January 1st, 1745. Ja- 



186 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

bez, Ezekiel, born March 23d, 1755. Stephen, 

born January 16th, 1757. Joel, born September 
9th, 1759. Eunice, Huklah, and Hannah. Jabez 
Burr died in 1770. He is said to have settled in the 
Saugatuck Valley, near the present residence of Ste- 
phen Burr, and to have built there the first grist-mill 
in the town. Of his children, Elijah married Roda 
Sanford, April 2d, 17C7, and had children— Lemuel 
and Elizabeth ; and by a second wife— Eunice Haw- 
ley, married April 27tli, 1773 — Joseph, Roda, John 
(who died of yellow-fever in the West Indies), and 
Lucy, who married Jonathan Knapp, of Redding. 
Nathan, the second son, removed to Pawlings, 
Dutchess Co., N. Y., in 1792, and there founded a 
numerous and wealthy family. Jabez, the third 
son, married Mary, daughter of Paul Bartram, and re- 
moved to Clarendon, Yt., in 1786. He had one son, 
Aaron. Ezekiel, married Huldah Merchant, of Red- 
ding, who bore him three children : Aaron, wdio 
lived and died in the house now owned b}^ Captain 
Davis ; William, avIio removed to Kentucky in 1816 ; 
and Huldah, who married Daniel Mallory in 1806, 
and removed to the West. 

A son of William Burr is now President of the St. 
Louis National Bank. Another son, George, a tel- 
ler in the same institution, was the companion of 
Prof. Wise in his late fatal balloon expedition, and 
shared the fate of the aeronaut. Stephen Burr mar- 
ried Mary Griffin, of Redding. His children were : 
Clara, Mary, Stephen, and Ezekiel. Joel Burr mar- 
ried Elizabeth Gold and settled in Ballston Springs, 
N. Y. 



HISTORY OF REDDING. ^^^ 



BURRITT. 



' William Bubritt and wife were admitted mem _ 
be,« of the church December 9th, 1739 No hmt of 
he r previous residence is given. Their children re- 
corded at Redding were: Mary baptized December 
16th, 1739. Abijah, January 18th 1-41. KxU. 
October 21, 1742. Sybil, February 19. "«„ ^^'^ 
shorn Burritt appears at the same time H^ son 
Solomon was baptized August 5tli, 1739^ Noah, 
.ranuary 31st, 1742. Nathaniel, October 17th, 174.i. 
Isaac, July 21st, 174,5. 



BURTON. 



Benjamin, son of Solomon Burton, baptized De 
cember 19tli, 1742. Ruth, ^^^ghter, baptized Octo- 
ber 7tli, 1744. Solomon Burton and wiie, church- 
members July 5th, 1741 . 

CUATFIELD. 

Samuel Ciiatfield and wife were admitted 

church members July 2«ttM^*K ^^'..f "f^Jf 
recorded were : Samuel, baptized .July 29th, 1733. 
Daniel, baptized August 31st, ^l^i, J^^ Apul 
17th, 1737. Martha, baptized May 20th, 173.J. 

COUCH. 

Captain Samuel Couch, of Fairtield, was one of 
the largest landholders in Redding at one time, and 
was largely instrumental in its settlement. He was, 
howeve?, never resident here. Bbenezer Couch ap- 
pears here as early as 1739. His children recorded 
were : Daniel, baptized July 29th, 1739. Adea, bap- 



1S8 HISTORY OF REDDI^'G. 

tized September 19tli, 1742. Elijah, baptized July 
26tli, 1747. Thesde, January 26tii, 1755. 

The following children of John Couch and his 
wife Elizabeth are recorded : John, baptized Mai'cli 
20th, 1748. Stephen, January 21st, 1753. Adria, 
baptized April 20th, 1755, Elizabeth, baptized July 
17th, 1757. Samuel, ]>ap tized August 30th, 1758. 

At an early day, nearly the entire district of Couch' s 
Hill w^as purchased by Mr. Simon Couch, of Fair- 
field, who gave his name to the district i3urcliased. 
His W'ife was Abigail Hall, a member of a notable 
Fairfield family. His Avill, dated March 2d, 1712-13, 
is still in the j)ossession of Mr. Nash Couch, of 
Couch's Hill, who is a lineal descendant. In this will 
he gives his "Negro man Jack" and "negro maid 
Jinne" to his wife, in addition to other bequests. 
His children mentioned in the will were : Simon, Jr., 
Thomas, Abigail, Hannah, Sarah, Isabel, and Deborah. 
Thomas w as lost at sea while on a voyage to Eng- 
land. Simon settled on his father's estate in Red- 
ding ; married, January 27th, 1753, Rebecca, daugh- 
ter of Captain Thomas Nash, of Fairfield. Their 
children, as given in the genealogy of the Nash fam- 
ily, were : Abigail, baptized February 10th, 1754 : 
died young. Simon, born May 18th, 1755 ; settled 
at Green's Farms. Thomas Nash, born April 18th, 
1758 ; settled in Redding. Rebecca, born January 
31st, 1701. Abigail, baptized January 27th, 1765. 
Lydia,^ born October 20th, 1767. Deacon Simon 
Couch died^^ril 25;th, 1809. 

Thomas Com'h, of^Ffiirfield, removed to Redding 
prior to the Revolution, an(1.> settled on Umpawaug 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 180 

Hill. He married, April 2d, 1772, Sarali, daugliter 
of Jonathan N'asli, of Fairfield. Their children were : 
Sarah, born August 9th, 1773 ; died young. Thomas, 
Iwrn September 23d, 1774. Jonathan, born Febru- 
ary 13th, 1777, who was the father of Major-General 
Couch, distinguished in the War of the Rebellion. 
Sarah, born Sep)tember ISth, 1779. TSTathan, born 
September 25th, 1781. Esther, born December 14th, 
1783. Moses, born October 2d, 1788. Edward, 
born March 7th, 1789. Hezekiah, born March 14th, 
1791. Mary, born April 21st, 1793. John, born 
July 28th, 1795. Mr. Thomas Couch died in Red- 
ding in 1817. 

At the outbreak of the Revolution Thomas Couch 
enlisted in the patriot arm 3^, and was one of the band 
of heroes who were present with Montgomerj^ at the 
siege of Quebec. He left his wife with their young 
children in Fairfield. "When Tryon moved on that 
town, Mrs. Couch had what furniture and grain she 
could gather put into an ox cart draAvn by two 
yoke of oxen, and started for Redding, where she 
owned land in her own right. She followed on 
horseback, carrjdng her two children in her arms. 
At the close of the war, Thomas joined his wife in 
Redding, where they continued to reside until death. 

Simon Couch, brother of Thomas, settled in Red- 
ding, on Umpawaug Hill, about the same time. He 
married, January 7th, 1776, Eleanor, daughter of 
Jonathan Nash, of Fairfield. Their children were : 
Elizabeth, born October 9th, 177G. Jessup, born 
August 3d, 1778. Seth, born August 31st, 1780. 
Eleanor, born August 26th, 1782. Simon, born De- 
cember 1st, 1784. Nash, born April 23d, 1787. 



190 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

Priscilla, born June 27tli, 1790. Edward, born July 
14th, 1792. Simon A., born December 6th, 1794. 
Caroline, born June 23d, 1801. Simon Couch died 
April IGth, 1829. Of the children, Simon and Jessup 
graduated at Yale College. Jessup graduated in 
1802, and in 1804 removed to Chillicothe, Ohio, where 
he practised law until his appointment as Judge of 
the Sui)erior Court of Ohio in 1815. This office he 
continued to hold until his death in 1821. In the 
War of 1812 he was also aide-de-camp to Governor 
Meigs, of Ohio, and bearer of dispatches to General 
Hull. 

Simon Couch, his brother, settled at Marion, Ohio, 
where he practised medicine until his death in 
1826. 

DARLING. 

Eunice, daughter of Joseph Darling, baptized 
January 2r)t]i, 1736. Benjamin, baptized April 
13th, 1738. Martha, January 11th, 1741. Joseph, 
baptized November, 1743. 

FAIRCniLD. 

Thomas Fatrciiild removed to Redding from 
Norwalk in 1733 ; was one of the original members of 
the church. His wife Mary was admitted January 
29th, 1738. Their children recorded were : Timothy 
and William, baptized October 22d, 1738. Sarah, 
April 12th, 1741. Abijah, May 27th, 1744. Mary, 
October 27th, 1745. 

Abraham Fairchild, probably brother of above, 
came from Norwalk in 1746, and built the first full- 
ing-mill in the town, near the site later occupied by 



UISTORY OF REDDING. 19 ^ 

Deacon Foster's woollen-mill. His wife was Sarah 
Scribner, of Nor walk. Their children were : Abra- 
ham, born January 1st, 1745 : died aged 17 years. 
Ezekiel, born October 26th, 1746. Daniel, born De- 
cember 26th, 1748. Isaac, born March 4th, 1751. 
David, born June 5th, 1753. Samuel, born July 
9th, 1755. Stephen, born March 7th, 1758. Rachel, 
born February 2d, 1761. John, born March 15th, 
1764. Ellen, born October 16th, 1767. Six of these 
brothers were in the Revolutionary army at one 
time. David was captured by the British, and con- 
lined in Trinity Church, New York. The small-pox 
was communicated to the prisoners— it is said with 
design, and he with many others died of the disease. 
Stephen was wounded at Ridgeiield, but recovered ; 
married Lizzie Fitch, of Wilton. Their children' were : 
Daniel, Kier, Isaac, Ellen, and Stephen. Ezekiel 
married Eunice Andrews : had four children, Abra- 
ham, Sarah, Abigail, and Burr. Daniel married 
Betsey Mead, and removed to the West. Isaac mar- 
ried Rachel Banks, and removed to Liberty, N. Y. 
Samuel married Nabbie Piatt, of Redding, and had 
two children, Aaron and Betsey. John married 
Abigail Wakeman, of AVeston. Their children were : 
Eli,°David, Rachel, Moses, Henry, and Eliza. David 
married Charlotte Gayer, of Weston. Their jhildi^en 
were : Eli, AVilliam, David, Mary, and John. Rachel 
married Seth Andi-ews, of Redding. Ellen married 
Minott Thomas, a Baptist clergyman. 

Stephen, Samuel, and John built a grist mill at an 
early day on the site of the one later known as 
Treadweli's mill. It was carried off by the great 
freshet of 1807, and the large stock of grain it con- 



193 HISTORY OF llEDDING. 

rained was scattered over the meadows below. They 
also owned a saw- mill just below, and sawed plank 
Tor the soldiers' huts in the Revolntion. 

FOSTER. 

■. Reginald Fosteu, the founder of the family in 
America, came to this country in 1G38 with his five 
sons, Abraham, Reginald, William. Isaac, and Jacob, 
and settled at Ipswich, Essex Co., Mass. Jacob 
Foster was the ancestor of the Redding- family. Jo- 
nah Foster settled in Redding about ITTo ; married 
Hannah Benedict, of Ridgefield, and shortly after re- 
moved to that town, and there resided until his death 
in 1815. His son, Joel Foster, was born in Redding 
November 8th, 1780, and lived in Ridgefield with his 
l^arents until his marriage with Esther Seymour in 
1802. In 1803 he removed to Redding, and bought 
of Moses Fox a small 2:)lace, on which was a fulling- 
mill and other conveniences for cheapening cloths. 
This mill stood a little below the j)resent bridge over 
Nobb's Crook brook, and the ruins of its dam are 
still to be seen. In 1804, Mr. Foster built an addi- 
tion to his fulling-mill building, whicli w^as leased 
to Zalmon Toucey, of Newtown, and in which Toucey 
erected a carding machine, paying a yearly rent of 
twenty dollars. 

How long Mr. Toucey 's lease continued is not 
known, but he probably soon relinquished it to Joel 
Foster, as the latter continued the business until 
about the time of the opening of the AYar of 1812, 
when a comj^any was formed, stjded Comstock, Fos- 
ter & Co., who built a woollen factory a few rods 
below the old fulling-mill, and continued the manu- 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 193 

facture of woollen goods during the entire period of 
the war, being very successful. The company, a few 
years after the war, was bought out by Joel Foster, 
who continued the business until the burning of his 
factory in 1843 or 1844, when he retii-ed. Mr. Foster 
died in 1854, aged seventy-four years. He had four 
children, all born in Redding : Dciniel, Betsey, Eliza, 
and Charles F. 

GOLD. 

Daniel, Samuel, and Stephex Gold (now writ- 
ten Gould), brothers, members of a Fairfield family 
that lial been j^rominent in church and state for 
several generations, were among the early settlers of 
the town, though none of their descendants are now 
found among us. Daniel apjDears first : he married 
Grace, daughter of Deacon Stephen Burr, and lived 
where James Lord now lives. His children, as named 
in the will of Deacon Burr, were : Abigail, who mar- 
ried Richard Nichols. Esther, who married Nathan- 
iel Northrop. Sarah, who married David Turney. 
Mary, who married Seth Price ; and Elizabeth. 

Samuel Gold settled in Lonetown, and built the 
house now owned by Seth Todd. He was a. soldier 
in the Revolution, and was wounded at the skii-mish 
in Ridgefield. Some of the officers of Putnam's 
command had their quarters at Mr. Gold's during 
their encampment in Redding. He married Sarah 
Piatt, of Redding. Their children were : Hezekiah, 
Daniel, Burr, Aaron, Sarah, Polly, and Grace. Ste- 
phen Gold settled on the farm later owned by Tim- 
oth}' Piatt in Lonetown. He is called captain in the 
14 



194 HISTORY OF llEDDJNG. 

records. He did not long remain a resident of Red- 
ding, but returned, it is said, to Greenfield. 

GORHAM. 

Isaac Goritam and his wife Ann first appear on 
the parish records January 25th, 1762, when their 
son Isaac was baptized. There is no hint of their 
former residence, but they were prol)ably from Fair- 
field. I find no further record of children. 

GRAY. 

Daistiel Ghay and wife were admitted church- 
members December 5th, 1742. John Gray and wife 
February 9th, 1744, on the recommendation of Rev. 
Mr. Dickinson, of Norwalk. 

The only child of Daniel Gray recorded was 
James, baptized May 8th, 1743. The children of 
John Gray were : Hannah, bai)tized July 1st, 1744. 
Joseph, July 15th, 1753. Eunice, January 2d, 
1755, and (by a second wife, Ruaniah), Eunice, bap- 
tized April 13th, 1760 ; and Joel, September 11th, 
1763. 

Stephen, son of Stephen and Sarah Gray, was 
baptized May 10th, 1747. Also Huldah, a daughter, 
December 14th, 1760. Hannah, October 3d, 1762 ; 
and Sarah, June 17th, 1764. James Gray, only son 
of Daniel, married Mabel Phinney February 9th, 
1764. Tlieir children were : Jesse, baptized April 
14tli, 1765 ; perhaps others. 

GRIFFIN. 

JoiiN" Griffin" appears in Redding as early as 
1736. His children were : Sarah, baptized May 9th, 
1736. Annie, baptized October 22d. 1738 ; and Jon- 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 105 

iithan, baptized November 2od, 1746. He settled in 
West Redding, near the Danbuiy line. 

HALL. 

The Halls were among tlie earliest settlers in Red- 
ding, the name appearing on the earliest petitions 
from the parish. In 1730, at the distribution of the 
estate of Samuel Hall, he is said to be of Chestnut 
Ridge, in Reading. His children as given were : 
Ebenezer, Johanna, Jemima, and Rebecca. Isaac 
Hall, whose farm lay contiguous to Samuel's, was 
one of the original cliurch-members, and was recom- 
mended by Rev. Mr. Chapman. He died in 1741. 
Asa Hall and Rachel his wife w^ere admitted March 
23d, 1736, on the same recommendation. I find no 
mention of children. 

HAWLEY. 

Joseph Haavley and wife were admitted church- 
members in December, 1740, on recommendation of 
Rev. Mr. Gold, of Stratford. Their children recorded 
were : Mary, baptized February 7th, 1742. Ruth, 
November*^ 5th, 1746. Eunice, October 2oth, 1750. 
Joseph Hawley died December 12th, 1771, aged sixty- 
six years. William Hawley, who appears in Red- 
ding as early as 1762, was probably his son. He lived 
where James Miller now lives ; married Lydia, daugh- 
ter of Captain ^Thomas Nash, of Fairfield, July 
12th, 1758. Their children were : Lydia, died in in- 
fancy. Joseph, born June 23d, 1762 ; settled in Red- 
ding. Lydia, born December 13th, 1763 ; married 
Aaron Sanf ord, of Redding. William, died in infancy. 
Bille, born February 9 th, 1767, removed to the 



196 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

West. Hezekiah, died in infancy. Hezekiah, born 
March lOtli, 1772. Lemuel, died young, of small- 
pox. William Hawley, died February IGtli, 1797. 
Mrs. Lydia Hawley died April 26tli, 1812. 

HILL. 

The founder in America of this family was Wil- 
liam Hill, who on his arrival here about 1632 settled 
first at Dorchester, Mass., and shortly after removed 
to \Vindsor, on the Connecticut Riv^er, where he 
bought land and set out an orchard. At an early 
day he removed to Fairfield, and was among the 
early settlers of that town. He died in 1650. His 
children were : Sarah, William., Joseph, Ignatius, 
James, and Elizabeth. William^ the second child, 

married Elizabeth . Their children were : Sarah, 

William., Joseph, John, Eliphalet, Ignatius, and 

James. William, the third, married , and had 

children, Sarah, William, Joseph, and David. Wil- 
liam Hill, the fourth, married Sarah . Their 

children ^vere : Joseph, William, and David. Deacon 
Joseph Hill, born April 1, 1699 ; married Abigail 
Dimon March 30th, 1731. The children of this mar- 
riage were : Abigail, born March 21st, 1732. Sarah, 
born August 21st, 1733. David, born April 22d, 
1737. Ebenezer, born February 26th, 1742. Jabez, 
born June 17th, 1744, and Moses, born January 
11th, 1748. Of the sons, only Ebenezer, Jahez, 
and 3foses married. Ebenezer married Mabel 
Sherwood January 17th, 1765. Their children 
were : David, Ebenezer, Seth, Dimon, Joseph, Ma- 
bel, Eleanor, Jabaz, and Esther. Ebenezer, his 
seconi son, married Sarah, daughter of Nathaniel 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 197 

Barlow, brother of the poet, in May, 1791. He re- 
moved to Redding early in life, and settled in Boston 
district. His children were: Mabel, Nathaniel B., 
Gershom, Ebenezer, Moses, and Jabez. Jabez Ilill^ 
son of Deacon Joseph Hill, settled in Weston ; was a 
major in the army of the Revolution ; married Sarah, 
daughter of Colonel John Read, of Redding. The 
children of this marriage were : Sarah, John Read, 
and Moses. Sarah married Timothy Piatt, of Red- 
ding. John Read settled in Redding at an early 
day, and became one of its wealthiest and best known 
residents. He began his business career by engag- 
ing in the manufacture of lime as before narrated, 
and ^on his retirement in 1823 i)ur chased the 
"manor" of his grandfather. Colonel John Read, 
where he continued to reside until his death in 1851. 
He married, March 23d, 1799, Betsy, daughter of 
Aaron Sanford, of Redding. Their children were : 
Aaron Sanford, Moses, William Hawley, Betsy, 
John Lee, Morris, Lydia, and Josej^h. 

Moses Hill, son of Deacon Josej)li Hill, married 
Esther, daughter of Ebenezer Burr, of Fairfield, June 
17th, 1773. The children by this marriage were : 
WilUam, Abigail, and Esther. William married 
Betsey, daughter of Nathaniel Barlow, brother of 
the poet, and had children, Bradley, Abigail, Hor- 
ace, Burr, and William. 

HEEOX. 

In Revolutionary days and before. Squire Heron 
lived in the now ancient house on Redding Ridge, 
just south of the Episcopal church. He was a na- 
tive of Cork, Ireland ; a graduate of Trinity College, 



198 IIItiTOllY OF REDDING. 

Dublin ; and a man of much ability and force of 
cliaracter. It is said that he had taught the Acad- 
emy in Greenfield Hill before coming to Redding, 
and liad also surv^eyed the old stage route from New 
York to Boston. I cannot determine the precise 
date of his arrival here, but it was some time prior 
to the Revolution. In that memorable struggle he 
sided witii the king, and was the recognized leader 
of the comi)any of Tories on Redding Ridge. At 
the time of Try on' s invasion he openly gave aid and 
comfort to the enemy. After the vv'ar he became a 
2:>rominent character in the town, and although 
somewhat bigoted, and imbued with the Old World 
notions of caste and social distinctions, is said to 
have exercised a great deal of influence in public 
affairs, especially at town meetings. ' ' We must 
keej) down the underbrush" was a favorite remark 
of his in speaking of the common people. The fol- 
lowing story, illustrating in a marked manner the 
customs of the day, is related of him : 

At one of the annual town meetings Mr. Ilezekiah 
Morgan, a somewhat illiterate man, .was nominated 
for grand juror. Squire Heron, in laced waistcoat, 
ruffles, and velvet breeches, and aiding himself with 
his gold-headed cane, arose to oj^pose the motion. 
" Mr. Moderator, " said he, " who is this Kier Morgan 'i 
W^hy, a man brought up in Hopewell Avoods : he 
fears neither God, man, nor the devil. If elected, 
who will be responsible for his acts % W^ill you, Mr. 
Moderator 'I or I 'I Why, sir, he can arrest anybody : 
he can arrest your Honor, or even myself ;" and with 
like cogent reasons succeeded in defeating the ob- 
noxious candidate. 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 199 

Squire Heron died January 8th, 1819, aged 
seventy-seven years, and is buried in the old Epis- 
copal churchyard on Redding Ridge. * His children 
^A'ere : William, Maurice, Elizabeth, Lucy, Elosia, 
Margaret, and Susan. William never married. He 
lived on the old homestead in Redding all his days, 
and was a man much respected in the community. 
His brother Maurice graduated at Yale College, and 
shortly after was killed by a steamboat exj)losion 
on the Connecticut River, near Essex. 

HULL. 

The Hull family are recorded in the Herald's Dis- 
tinction of Devon as a very ancient family of Devon- 
shire, but the original name, De La Hulle, in Shrop- 
shire, in the reign of Edward II., indicates that they 
went from the Continent to England, probably from 
Normandy. Shortly after the Pilgrims landed in 
Plymouth, five brothers named Hidl came to Mas- 
sachusetts from England, viz., John, George, Rich- 
ard, Joseph, and Robert. 

George, who v/as the anc3stor of the Halls of 
Redding, appears in Dorchester, Mass., in 1630 ; re- 
moved to Windsor, Conn., and afterward to Pau'field ; 
died in August, 1059. His will, dated August 25, 
1659, mentions sons Josias and Cornelius, and several 
daughters. His son Cornelius married Rebecca, 
daughter of Rev. John Joanes, the first minister of 
Fairfield, who was of Welsh origin. His will, of the 
date September 16, 1095, mentions three sons, Sam- 
uel, Cornelius,, and Theophilus ; and three daughters, 
Rebecca, Sarah, the wife of Robert Silliman, and 
Martha, wife of Cornelius Stratton. The children of 



200 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

Cornelius were : George, Sarah, Rebecca, Nathaniel, 
Ebenezer, Elizabeth, John, Martha, Eleanor, and Coi - 
nelius. Deacon George Hull was one of the fathers 
of the infant settlement. He was moderator of the 
first parish meeting, a member of the first parish 
committee, and first deacon of the chnrch in Red- 
ding. He also appears on numerous committees. 
He and his wife, Ebenezer and wife, and Theophiliiy 
and wife were among the original church members 
in 1738. John Hull was admitted April 18, 1736. 
All of them removed here from Gieenfield Hill. 
George, Ebenezer, and Cornelius must have come to 
Redding prior to 1733, for their names appear in a 
petition to fix upon a site for a meeting-house in 
1725. By a deed dated Danbury, May 19, 1729, 
a tract of land lying in Chestnut Ridge, between 
Danbury and Fairfield, is conveyed to George Hull 
and heirs by Jonathan Squires. 

George Hull's children recorded in Redding are : 
Seth, baptized July 29, 1733 ; and Rebecca, May 
25, 1735. He died February 9, 1769, aged 83, 
Seth Hull married Elizabeth Mallorj^ his neice- 
Children recorded in Redding are : Abagail, born 
January 28, 1762 ; Jonathan, October 25, 1763, Eliph- 
alet, December 18, 1765 ; Walter, November 21, 
1767 ; Lazarus, January 16, 1770 ; Hezekiah, ISIarch 
24, 1792 ; and Martha, April 28, 1794. Besides these 
were Elizabeth and Sarah ; Martha married David 
Belden, an Episcopal clergyman ; Jonathan married 
Eunice Beach, and was the father of Rev. Lemuel B. 
Hull, former rector of Christ Church in Redding. 
Seth Hull died April 5, 1795. 

Nathaniel Hull was born in 1695, and reared 



HISTORY OF REDDING. -'01 

Sarah, Elizabeth, Esther, Steplieii, Nathaniel, Peter, 
Ezekiel, David, Aaron, Silas, and Hannah. 

The children of /SVfe.s' Hull were : Hannah, Huldah, 
and Bradley. Bradley's children were : Burr, Pa- 
melia, Charry, Silas, Aaron B., Charles, Mary, Brad- 
ley H., Chapman, Le Grand, and Cornelia. 

The children of Ebenezer were : Daniel, Ebenezer, 
Nehemiah, and Abagail. Daniel married Mary 
Betts, and removed from Redding to Berlin, Rens- 
selaer County, N. Y., in 1770, and was one of 
the first settlers of that town. He died August 26, 
1811, aged 89 years. He had ten children, viz., 
Martha, Hezekiah, Justus, Abagail, Peter, Esther, 
Daniel, Stephen, Harry, and Ebenezer. 

Of these children all but the two last named were 
l)orn in Redding. Justus was one of the first minis- 
ters of the Second Baptist Church in Danbury, and 
is reputed to have been a preacher of more than or- 
dinary ability. He was in the ministry fifty- six 
years, and died at Berlin, N. Y., May 29, 1833, at the 
age of 78. His children were, Justus P. Emmerson, 
Polly Ann, and Alonzo Grandison. The last named 
is a i)hysician, and resides in New York, He was a 
successful practitioner in London twelve years. 
Ebenezer married and emigrated to the AVest. His 
descendants reside in Iowa, Nebraska, and other 
Western States, Nehemiah died a bachelor. 

John Hull removed to Redding when in middle 
life. He went with the Provincial troops in the ex- 
pedition against Cuba in 1641, and fell a victim to the 
yellow-fever with nearly a thousand others of the 
sturdy sons of NeAv England. He directed that his 
musket, carried in the wars, should be sent home to 



202 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

liis (ildest son Timothy ; lio to Iwivo it to his ehlest 
son, nnd tliat it shfuild descend in this manner to 
the ehlest s(m as ]on<^ as it existed. Thus it lias fal- 
len in regular descent to ]\rr. Aaron B. Hull, of 
Danbury, the great grandson of th<; oi-iginal owner. 
Before enlisting, Mr. TTiill mad<; his will, dated S(!j)- 
tember 10, 1740, in wliicli lie mentions sons Timothy, 
James, and John, and daughters Anna, Abagail, and 
Esther. Timothy was born S(q)t(!mber 4, 172<), jind 
married Anna, daughter of John Gray, JJecomber 
14, 1749. He died April 29, 1800. His children were 
Hannah, boin July 27, 1751, mai-ried Samuel Mal- 
lory, and died in Banbury, September 4, 18:^0. 
Sarah, born February 5, 1754, married .Tohn Faii- 
(•liild and emigrateflwest. Ezra, bom April 5, 1750. 
and died in liedding, March 5, 1837. He settled 
in Boston sr^hool district. He married Elizabeth, 
daughter of Onesimus Coley. His children were : 
Eunice, boin July 0, 1785, married Hiram Jackson ; 
died in Kingston, N. Y,, May 3, 1862. Laura, born 
August 4, 1788, married John Eckert, and died in 
Springfi(;ld, Otsego Count}^, N. Y., November 17. 
1805. Polly, born November 29, 1798, died in Kings- 
ton, N. Y., September 28, 1870. Elizabeth, the wife 
of Ezra Hull. di(*d Febi-iiary 28, 1809; he mai-iied 
Widow Abiiy Bradley, daughter of (lershom Banks, 
of Fairli<!ld, June 20,1810; she died in Wiltrm, 
April 17, 1854. The childnm of thismai'iiagf; w(ire : 
Ezra Bradh;y and (Jharles, who both di<;d young, 
and Aaron B. Ezra Hidl served in the Revolutionary 
VVai-, and partif'ii)ated in those; events Avlii(;h ti'ans- 
pired duiing (lovei-nor 'J'ryon's exx)edition to and 
the burning of Banbury. Eunice, fourth child (>f 



niSTORY OF BEDDING. 203 

Timothy Hull, was born August 26, 1757, married 
George Perry and rem^oved to Kentuckj^ John, 
born June 26, 1759, married Sarah Fairchild ; died 
April 7, 1838. (His children were Aaron, Ezekiel, 
Hezekiah, Abraham, and Polly.) Abraham, born 
March 30, 1761, died in Banbury, October 29, 
1831. David, born March 22, 1763, died in Red- 
ding, March 19, 1847 ; he married Cliloe Lee, and 
had children, Daniel, Harry, and Lucy. Samuel, 
born J une 22, 1 766. (He married Anna Wakeman, 
and had a daughter Eliza, who married Horace Sta- 
ples, President of the Westport National Bank. 
Samuel Hull died in Eedding July 19, 1846.) Heze- 
kiah, born October 22, 1769, died in Danbury, July 
26, 1852. Anna, born Decembei' 7, 1771, married 
Lemuel Burr ; died in Redding, December 20, 1840. 
Abagail, born November 17, 1775, married Timothy 
Perry ; died in Miamisburg, Ohio, March 16, 1844. 

The mil of James, the second son of John Hull, 
of the date of April 26, 1799, mentions no children. 
He died February 20, 1805, in the seventy-seventh 
year of his age, John married Mollie Andrews, 
February 3, 1763. His children recorded are Elea- 
nor and Mollie. His will, bearing date June 24, 
1815, mentions no children, but names his "grand- 
son John Goodyear, and the son of liis grandson 
Hull Goodyear;" also two other names not given, 
but which were undoubtedly Munson Goodj^ear and 
Ellen, wife of Harry Meeker. 

Cornelius, the youngest son of Cornelius Hull, 2d, 
and Abagail, daughter of Robert Rumsey, were 
married August 24, 1731. Their children were : Jed- 
ediali^ Eunice, Grace, Eliphalet, Abigail, Sarah, 



^04 HISTORT OF REDDING. 

and Kney. Jedediali Hull was second lieuten- 
ant under Colonel David Wooster in the anny 
which invaded Canada in 1758. His children were : 
Denny, Eunice, Chapman, Molly, Cornelius, and 
Jedediali. Denny and Chapman settled in Redding. 
The children of the first named were : Mary, Denny, 
Isaac Piatt, and Eunice. Chapman' s were : Morris, 
Henry C, and George. 

The wdll of Theophilus Hull, of Fairfield, the 
youngest son of Cornelius, 1st, dated June 4, 1710, 
gives the names of sons Theophilus, Eliphalet, John, 
and Jabesh, and two, daughters, Mary and Ann. 
Theophilus, his oldest son, married Widow Martha 
Betts, of Redding, January 25, 1759, His will, of 
the date December 1, 1785, names son Zalmon, and 
daughters Sarah and Lydia. Zalmon\s sons were : 
Hezekiah, Theophilus B., Henry L., and his daugh- 
ters, Lydia and Sally. 

The Redding records contain the marriage of 
Nehemiah Hull and Grizzle Perry, February 5, 
1767. JSTehemiah, i)robably a son of the above, 
married Sarah Jackson. Twin children were born 
to them, December 7, 1792, and were named Sally 
Betsey, and Betsey Sally, The first named married 
Theophilus B., son of Zalmon Hull, and the other 
Morris, son of Chapman Hull. 

JACKSON, 

Epjikaim Jackson and his wife Martha removed 
to Redding from Green's Farms, Fairfield, in 1748, 
and were admitted church-members the same year. 
Pie died Ajiril 28th, 17G5, aged sixty -five yeai-s. The 
children of his son, Ephryim Jackson, were w> fol- 



HISTORY OF REDDING. 205 

lows : Aaron, baptized November 12th, 1767. Mol- 
lie, baptized Julj" 23d, 1769. Peter, SeiDtember 
8th, 1771. Hezekiah, February 27th, 1774. David 
Jackson apj)ears in Redding as early as 1763 ; was 
probably son of Ex:>hraini ; married November 18th, 
1762, Anna Sanford. Their children were : Ezekiel, 
baptized October 23d, 1763. David, February 2d, 
1766. Anna, September 30th, 1770 ; died in infancy. 
Anna, September 14th, 1772 ; and by a second wife, 
Esther, Moses, baptized December 11th, 1774 ; per- 
haps others. Ezekiel, son of David, married Hannah 
Gray, April 30th, 1786 (Town record). Their chil- 
dren were : Anna, born December 21st, 1786. Hiram, 
born April 22d, 1788. Samuel, born December 
29th, 1789. Clarissa, born December 25th, 1792. 
Laura, born February 28th, 1794. Harriet, born De- 
cember 18th, 1795. Harriet married Gideon H. Hdl- 
lister, of AVoodbury, and became the mother of Judge 
Gideon H. Hollister, the historian of Connecticut. 

LEE. 

William Lee and wife were admitted church 
members May 23d, 1742. Their children recorded 
were : Daniel, baptized January 8th, 1744. Abijali, 
baptized September 21st, 1745. Abigail, baptized 
May 5th, 1748. William, baptized April 5th, 1753. 
Seth, baptized March 23d, 1755. 

Joseph Lee and wife admitted May 8th, 1737. 
Their daughter Mary was baptized May 8th, 1743. 
• 

LYON. 

Among the original members of the church at its 
organization in 1733 appear the names of Daniel 



206 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

Lion and wife, of Benjamin Lion and wife — recom- 
mended by Eev. ISIr. Gay—and Richard Lion and 
Avife. All settled in the sonth-eastern part of the 
town, near what is now the Easton line. The record 
of their families is as follows. Children of Daniel 
were: Jonathan, baptized April 12th, 174L Chil- 
dren of Benjamin were : Bethel, baptized May 23th, 
1733. John, baptized Angust 22d, 1730. Samuel, 
baptized August 20th, 1738. Phebe, baptized Feb- 
ruary 24tli, 1740. Richard Lion died in January 
1740, aged eighty-seven years. 

LORD. 

David Lord was admitted church-member in 
1744, recommended by Rev. Mr. Parsons, of Lyme. 
His children were : David, baptized July 8th, 1744. 
Elizabeth, baptized March 5th, 1740 ; i^erhaj)?! 
others. 

MALLORY, 

JoNATiiAiN^ Mallory and wife were admitted 
church-members December 22d, 173."), on recom- 
mendation of Rev. Mr. Chapman, She was Eliza- 
beth Adams. They were married April lOth, 173;"). 
Tlieir children were : Jonathan, bajotized Jannary 
nth, 1736. Eliza, baptized December 17th, 1738. 
perhaps others. Peter Mallory married Joanna 
Hall February 28th, 1737. Cliildren : Rebecca, 
baptized February i)th, 1738 ; died in infancy. Re- 
becca, baptized January 13th, 1739. Ebenezer Mal- 
lory and Hannah Keys were mafried February 6th, 
1744. No children found.- Daniel Mallory and 
Sarah Lee were married November 30th, 1748. Their 
children were : Daniel, baptized October 25th, 1750. 



UISTORY OF REDDING. 207 

Nathan, August 25tli, 1754. Abigail, April 24tli, 
1757. Sarah, May 15th, 1763. Joseph, baptized 
February 12th, 1767. Eunice, daughter of Daniel 
Mallory, Jr., and his wife Rachel, was baptized Sep- 
tember 5th, 1779. Samuel and Charles Mallory were 
born April 6th, 1780. The names of the parents are 
not given. Charles Mallory was the father of Ste- 
phen Mallory, United States Senator from Floridn, 
and later Secretary of the Confederate Navy. 

MEADE. 

Stephen Meade, the first of the name in Redding, 
appears as early as 1755. He married Rachel San- 
ford, daughter of Ephraim Sanford. Their children 
were : Jeremiah, born March 22d, 1752. Ezra, bap- 
tized January 19th, 1755. Hannah, baptized May 
9th, 1756. Esther, baptized August 17th, 1760. 
Thaddeus, baptized October 25tli, 1761. Stephen, 
baptized January 24th, 1768. Stephen Meade is 
called lieutenant and captain in the records. He 
was a man quite prominent in town affairs ; was 
elected the first clerk of the town at its organization 
in 1767, and held other important offices. He lived 
in the centre, on the site of the present residence of 
Thomas Sanford. 

MEEKER. 

Benjamus" Meeker and wife were admitted 
church-members June 4th, 1747. She was Catherine 
Burr. They were married July 20th, 1745. Their 
children were : Witely, baptized June 7th, 1747. 
p]sther and Eunice, bai^tized August 13th, 1755. 
Azariah, baptized February 5th, 1769. Daniel 
Meeker married Sarah Johnson, July 10th, 1744. 



208 BISTORT OF BEDDING. 

Their children were : Ehiathan baptized July 26th, 
1747. Jared, baptized January 29th, 1749. Re- 
becca, baptized January 20th, 1751. Lois, baptized 
March 28th, 1753. Josiah, baptized July 17th, 
1757. 

About the same time appear David Meeker and 
Robert Meeker. The former married Hannah Hill 
October 31st, 1744. The latter Rebecca Morehouse, 
September 19th, 1746. I lind no record of children. 
Joseph Meeker ajipears as early as May 4th, 1735, 
when his son Isaac was baptized. 

ilERCHANT. 

GuKDOiSr MERCiiAiNrT married Elinor Chauncey 
(probably of Fairfield), December 9th, 1747. Their 
children were : Amelia, baptized February 5tli, 1749. 
Chauncey, February 25th, 1753. John, baptized 
August 31st, 1755. Elinor, January 8th, 1758. 
Gurdon, March 16th, 1760. Joel, June (5t\i, 1762. 
Phebe, May 20th, 1764. Silas, May 8th, 1766. 
Cxurdon Merchant was the first town treasurer, and 
held other offices of trust. The family figures quite 
prominently in the later history of the town. 

MOREUOUSE. 

Gersiiom Mor.EiiousE and wife were admitted 
members of the church May 8th, 1737, on recom- 
mendation of Rev. Mr. Hobart, of Fairfield. Also, 
Jonathan Morehouse, July 5th, 1741. I find no 
children of Gershom Morehouse recorded in Red- 
ding. The Gershom Morehouse who married Anna 
Sanford January 18th, 1748, was probably his son. 
The children of the second Gershom Morehouse were : 



HISTORY OF REDDING. ^^^ 



Ezra, baptized April 28tli, 1754. Bille, baptized 
July ISth, 1706. Aaron, baptized June 4tli, 1758. 
Jane, baptized November 4tli, 1700. Ann, baptized 
June 19tli, 1764. Hill, l)aptized May 5tli, 1765. 
Lucy, baptized July 12tli, 1767. Betty, baptized 
Auo-ust 6th, 1769. Elizabeth Ruth, baptized No- 
ventber 10th, 1771. Polly, baptized May 15th, 1774. 
Polly, baptized May 4th, 1777. The children of 
Jonathan Morehouse were : Joanna and Mary, bap- 
tized April 13th, 1738. Hannah, baptized June 3d, 
1739. Elijah, baptized March 11th, 1742. Phebe, 
baptized May 27th, 1744. Ruth, baptized June 
14th, 1747. 



PERKY. 



Ebenezeii Perry removed to Redding, probably 
from Stratford, in 1735, in which year he was ad- 
mitted church-member. His children were : John, 
l)aptized May 10th, 1741. Ebenezer, June 12th, 
1743 ; probably others. 

Daniel Perry, son of Joseph Perry and Deborah 
BuiT, of Fairiield, removed to Redding about 1770, 
and settled in the south-western part of the town. 
He married, hrst, Mary, daughter of Peter Sturgis, of 
Fairfield, and, second, Sarah Wilson. Hisclnldren, all 
by the second wife, were : Grissel, born February 
10th, 1745-6. Daniel, born April 15th, 1747. John, 
born December 30th, 1748. Deborah, born October 
8th, 1750. George, born November 28th, 1752. 
Isaac, born November 3d, 1754. Thomas, born 
February 21st, 1757. Of the sons, two at least, Dan- 
iel and John, settled in Redding. Daniel married, 
February 19th, 1772, Elizabeth Gorham, of Green- 



210 IIISIORY 01^ REDDING. 

field. His children were : '.Timothy, bai)tized Janu- 
ary 10th, 1773. Isaac, baptized August 23d, 1778 ; 
perhaps others. 

PLATT. 

TiJiOTHY Platt was admitted a. cliurch-member 
May 10th, 1741, on recommendation of Rev. Mr. 
Chapman. But one chikl is found — Abigail, bap- 
tized April 8th, 1736 ; married Nathaniel Hill May 
28th, 17o4. He was probably father of the Timothy 
Platt who married the sister of John P. Hill, and 
settled in Lonetown, on the farm now owned by 
Henry Adams. Obadiah Platt, who appears in Red- 
ding as early as 1737, and Jonas Platt, who with his 
^vife Elizabeth were adnutted church-members Feb- 
ruary 5tli, 1749, were probably his brothers, Timo- 
thy Platt died December 5th, 17C9, aged sixty-tAvo 
years. The children of Obadiah Platt were : INIary, 
baptized February 20th, 1737. Elizabeth, May 15th, 
1739. Jonas Platt married Elizabeth Sanford, Octo- 
ber 17th, 1747. Their children were : John, bap- 
tized February 5th, 1752. Daniel, August lltli, 
1754. Eunice, May 30th, 1756. He removed to 
New York. 

llezekiah [Platt appears in Redding as early as 
April 4th, 1762, when his son Justus was baptized. 
His other children recorded were : Hezekiah, Janu- 
ary 16th, 1764. : William, May 18tli, 1766. Gris- 
wold, December 1st, 1767. Robert, September 1st, 
1771. 

READ. 

Mk. John Read, i:>erhaps the earliest settler of 
Redding, was one of the most enunent men of his 



IILSTORT OF BEDDING. '211 

(lay. He was born in Connecticut in 1680, gradu- 
ated from Harvard College in 1G97, studied for the 
ministry, and preached for some time at Waterbury, 
Hartford, and Stratford. He afterward studied law, 
and was admitted an attorney at the bar in 1708, and 
in 1712 was appointed Queen's attorney for the col- 
ony. In 1714 he bought of the Indians a large tract 
of land in Lonetown and settled there. He con- 
tinued to reside in Redding until 1722, when he re- 
moved to Boston, a,nd soon became known as the 
most eminent lawyer in the colonies. He was At- 
torney-General of Massachusetts for several years, 
and also a member of the Governor and Council. 
He died in February, 1749, leaving a large estate. 
His wife was Ruth Talcott, daughter of Lieutenant- 
Colonel John Talcott, of Hartford, and sister of 
Governor Josejjh Talcott. They had six children : 
liiith^ born (j)robably) in Hartford in 1700 ; died in 
Redding, August 8th, 1766. She was the wife of 
Rev. Nathaniel Hunn, first fjastor of the church in 
Redding. They were married September 14th, 1737. 
John, born in Hartford in 1701 ; lived in Redding at 
the ' ' Lonetown Manor, ' ' and was a leading man in 
his day in the colony ; was much in public life, both 
(*ivil and military, and was noted for his public spirit, 
patriotism, and piety. He married twice. His first 

wife was Mary , a Milford lady. His second 

wife was Sarah Bradley, of Greenfield Hill. His 
childi'en were : William, who married Sarah Hawley, 
of Redding. Zalmon, who married Hulda Bradley, 
of Greenfield. HezeMah, who married Anna Gor- 
ham. Jo/^ V?, who married ZoaHillard. J/«r?/, wifeof 
Jolm Harpin. SaraJi, wife of Jabez Hill, and after- 



^ly tliSTOitY OF li ED DING. 

ward of Theodore Monson. Ruth, wife of Jeremiah 
Mead. Deborali,, wife of Thomas Benedict, a lawyer, 
Mabel^ wife of Levi Starr ; and Esther, wife of Dan- 
iel C. Bartlett, son of Rev. Nathaniel Bartlett, 
One of his children, a lad of four years, fell into a 
burning coal-pit in 1739, and was so badly burned 
that he survived bat a few hours. His father wrote 
a letter to his father in Boston, informing him of the 
melancholy event, and his father sent back a letter in 
reply. Both of the letters are yet preserved, after a, 
period of one hundred and fortj^ years, and are both 
remarkable for the piety and Christian resignatic)n 
manifested in them. Wittiam, born in Connecticut 
about 1710, was a lawyer in Boston, and afterward a 
judge in several of the courts there. He lived a 
bachelor, and died in 1780, aged seventy years. 
Mary^ born (probably) in Reading, Conn., April 
14th, 1710 ; married Captain Charles Morris, of Bos- 
ton, afterward of Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he 
was for many years chief- justice of the courts. They 
had nine sons and two daughters. Ahlga'd married 
Joseph Miller, of Boston. Deborah married a j\Ir. 
Willstead, and afterward Henry Paget, of Smithiield, 
Rhode Island. 

To the above sketch by Mr. George Read, of Bos- 
ton, 1 will add that Colonel John Read, son of the 
Mr. John Read mentioned, appears as one of the 
original members of the first society in 1729, and was 
the Colonel John Read so often referred to in the 
town records. His " manour" comprised nearly all 
of what is now Lonetown, and his manor-house stood 
(m the exact site of Mr. Aaron TreadweH's present 
residence. He had a fenced park, in which lie kept 



HISrORY OF REDDING. S13 

deer, nearly opposite the present residence of William 
Sherwood. 

Mr. George Read, of Redding Centre, has a very 
interesting collection of old papers belonging to the 
colonel, such as wills, deeds, account-books, etc. 
In one of them directions are given his men about 
feeding the deer, letting the cattle into the long- 
meadow, etc. Another is Mr. Read's commission 
as colonel, and is of sufficient interest to warrant its 
insertion here. It is as follows : 

Thomas Fitch Esq., Governor and Commander in 
chief of his Majesty's Colcmy of Connecticut in 
New England, 

To John Read Esq., Gueetin^g. 
Whereas you are appointed by the General As- 
sembly of said Colony to be Colonel of the Foui'th 
Regiment of Horse in said Colony. Reposing spe- 
cial trust and confidence in your Loyalty, courage, 
and good conduct, I do by these presents constitute 
and apx:»oint you to be Coicmel of said Regiment. 
You are therefore to take the said Regiment into 
your Care and charge as their Colonel, and carefully 
and diligently to discharge that Care and Trust in 
Ordering and Exercising of them, both Officers and 
Soldiers in Arms according to the Rules and Disci- 
pline of War, keeping them in [^'ood Order and Gov- 
ernment, and commanding them to obey you as 
their Colonel for his Majesty's service, and they are 
(commanded to obey you accordingly, and you are to 
conduct and lead forth tlie said Regiment, or such 
part of them as you shall from time to time receive 
orders for from me, or from the Governor of this 
('olony for the time being, to Encounter, Repel, 
Pursue, and Destroy by force of Arms, and by all 
fitting ways and means, all his Majesty's Enemies 
who shall at any time hereafter in a Hostile manner, 



214 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

attempt or enterprise the Invasion, Detriment, oi' 
Annoyance of this Colony. And you are to observe 
and obey such Orders and Instructions as from time 
to time you from Me, or other your Superior Offi- 
cers, pursuant to the trust hereby Reposed in you 
and the hiws of tliis Coh)ny. Given under my hand 
and the seal of this Colony, in New Haven, the 8d 
Day of November, in the 81st year of the Reign of 
our Sovereign Lord George the Second, King of 
Great Britain &c. Annoque Doms. 1757. 

By His Honor's Command. 

Tiios. FiTCii. 

George Wyllys, Secty. 

KOGERS. 

James Rogeus was a prominent man in liis day, 
and hlled many respcmsible offices in town. He ap- 
pears as early as 1762. His children were : Joseph, 
born October 81st, 1762. Cliloe, born October 24th, 
1766. James, born April 28th, 1768. Haron, born 
August 22d, 1770. (Toavu record. ) 

UUMSEY. 

Joseph Rumsey appears in Redding as early :is 
1747. His will, dated December 27th, 1754, mentions 

his wife, Snrah , and children, Isaac, Sarah, 

Joseph, Daniel, AYilliam, and Ei^hraim. 

The will of Daniel Rumsey, of Reading, i^robated 
March loth, 1761, mentions his father Robert, broth- 
ers John Rumsey and Seth Hull. 

John Rumsey settled in Redding. His children 
by wife Esther were : Abigail, baptized February 
19th, 1751. Rachel, baptized Felwuary 25th, 1758. 
Mary, June 5th, 1755. Nathan, August 8tli, 1756. 
David, January 28th, 1759. Mary, June 15th, 1761. 
Ksthei', May 18th, 1764. Eben. February 4th, 17(58. 



HISTGRY OF REDDING. 215 

Isaac Rnmsey mariied Abigail St. John, May 23d, 
1761. Children : Abigail, born December 25th, 
1761. Jeremiah, born May 23d, 1762. Euth, De- 
cember 29th, 1763. Noah, born March 28th, 1768. 

SAX FOR D. 

The Sanford family is one of the oldest and most 
numerous in the town, having been founded by foTir 
persons of the name, who removed here from Fair- 
held when the country was first opened to settlers. 
The names of these four settlers were : Nathaniel, 
Lemuel, Samuel, and Ephraim. 

The first two were original members of the church ; 
the last two joined it during the first year of its ex- 
istence, viz. , in 1734. According to Savage, Ephraim 
Sanford, who settled in Milford, and married ]\Iary 
Powell, of New Haven, in 1669, had children, Mary, 
Samuel, Ephraim, Thomas, Nathaniel and Zacariah. 
Samuel, Ephraim, and Nathaniel, are no doubt iden- 
tical with those who settled in Redding, as they were 
elderly men with families when they removed here. 

According to the above-named authority, Ezekiel, 
eldest son of the above Thomas Sanford, was free- 
man in 1669 and died in 1683, leaving a widow, Re- 
l)ecca and children, Ezekiel, Thomas, Sarah, Mary, 
Rebecca, Martha, and Elizabeth. Ezekiel,* eldest 
son, settled in Fairfield, and in his will, dated Janu- 

"" '!\tr. E. J. Sniidford, of Knoxville, Teiin., sends me llie following 
Mccount of Ezekifl Sandfnrd, which he deiived fi'om Rev. Thomas 
F. Davies : Ezekiel Saiidford was an English engineer, and h:\d 
charge of the erection of the stockade fort at Saybrook. at the mouth 
of the Connecticut Kiv-er. for prutcction against Indians. He after- 
ward removed to Fairfield, and l)uilt the first mill in the cnnnty, at 
Mill liivcr, for ■uiiicli he received a laigu grant of land from the 
English Government 



•3 in IlISrOllY OF RKOniNO. 

;iiy '2!)tli, 1721), mentions two sons, LiMniuM mid Ez<v 
kiel. Lciiiud sottlcd in Tloddiiii;", ms nhovo stntod. 
Thomas Sanford, fjiMuM- of I^i/ekicl and K])hiaim, 
was the lirst of the name in America. 

We sliall traee the families of these aneestors in 
Ileddini;- in the order of tlieii' an-ival hern. Natlian- 
iel Sanford settled in UmpaAvaiii;'. His cliihheTi '-(v 
conh'd wei<': Abel II., baptized i^rar('ll ^oth, 17:^:5. 
Iluth, baptized May l^tii. 17:)7. Ksther, baptized 
May 27th, 1741. 

T have no further record of this family. 

Ijemnel Sanford. settled in the (centre. Me was on(^ 
of tlietirst committee-men of tlie society, and i)romi- 

nent iji public alTairs. lie married Scpiire, of 

Fairiield. Their children were : IfrzeJiiali, probably 
born in Fairtield. Sarah, bai)tize(l Se])tember IDth, 
1734. AniuN bai)tized November 1st, 17l}(). Lydia, 
baptized ,1 nne 4th, J 738. Lciiiifcl, ba[)tized April 
2(M4i, 1740. EzcJdi'l baptized duly 4th, 1742. 
Anne, baptized October 7th, 1744. Roda, bai)tized 
February 2()th, 174',). 

II\'Z('ki((Ji married Hannah , and se^ttled in the 

(umtre, on the farm uowouiumI by Mi". Delavan. His 
children were : Aaron, baptized INlay 2!)th, 1 7r)7. 
Hannah, baptized Auii'ust 20th, 17.M). William, })ai)- 
tized October 14th, 1764. Eunice, baptized dune 
7th, 1772. lliddali, baptized May ISth, 1777. 

Aaron, liis eldest son, settled in the centre, and lived 
in the house now owned by ]\[rs. (^)nnors. Tie was 
the first male luend^er of the IMethodist (^hurch in 
New Ennland, and was the leadei' of the little (^hiss 
organized in lledding in 17!)(). 

The Methodist ]))-e:i''luM's in their I'onnds alvvay.s 



insrORY OF REDDING. 217 

found a home witli liini, and often lield their meet- 
ings in his house. Later in life lie became an accep- 
table local x>reacher in that church. He married 
Lydia Hawley, daughter of William Ilawley, Novem- 
ber 2d, 1780. Their children were : Betsey, born 
October 5th, 1781. Hannah, born May 31st, 1784. 
Aaron, l)orn July 8th, 1786. Ilaidey, born July 
l()th, 1789. Jesse Lee, born July 27th, 1791. Eu- 
nice, born August 10th, 1793. Walter, born Febru- 
ary 18th, 1796. Charlotte, born January 8th, 1800. 
Lydia, born September 23d, 1803. William A., 
l)orn January 15th, 1807. 

Aaron Sanford, Jr., settled, on Redding Ridge, in 
the eastern part of the town. He married, December 
19th, 1813, Fanny Hill, daughter of Andrew L. Hill. 
Their children were eleven in number : Andrew H., 
Daniel, Marj^, Clara, Henry, Aaron, Fanny, Jesse 
L., Mary, Elizabeth, John, and Julia H. Ilawley, 
the second son, married Betsey Stow November 2d, 
1814, by whom he had two children, Russell and 
Betsey. On the death of his wife he married, second, 
Sarah Ketchum November 20th, 1823. The chil- 
dren of this mai'riage were : Francis A., Aaron K.. 
(now presiding elder on the Poughkeepsie District), 
Hawley, Lydia, David, Morris, and Mary. Walter, 
the third son, married, December 6th, 1821, Harriet 
M. Booth. They had one son, Charles. Walter 
Sanford married, second, Emily Gorliam. AVilliam 
Sanford, the fourth son, married Harriet Tuttle 
May 2d, 1832. Of the daughters, Betsey married 
John R. Hill. Hannah married the Rev. Aaron 
Hunt, a Methodist clergyman, celebratetl in his day 
as being the first to successfully contest the old co- 



218 HISTORY OF BEDDING. 

lonial law wliich forbade all ministers except those 
of the " Standing Order" to perform the marriage 
ceremony. Mr. Hunt was at one time located and 
resided for several years in Redding. Charlotte 
married Thomas B. Fanton. Lydia married Aaron 
JSanford Hyatt. 

Lemuel San ford, second son of Lemnel Sanford, 
settled in the centre, near his father. He married, 
September 20th, 1768, Mary Rnssell, of North Bran- 
ford, Conn. The cu'cnmstances attending his mar- 
riage are thus narrated : He left Redding on horse- 
back, early on the morning of his wedding-day, but 
was delayed on the road and did not reach Branford 
until midnight. By that time the wedding guests 
had dispersed and the family had retired ; but he 
roused them up, collected the guests, and the cere- 
mony was performed. The next day bride and 
groom returned to Redding, travelling on horse- 
back. The children of Lemuel and Mary Sanford 
were : Lemuel, born July 18th, 176Q. Roda, born 
March 4th, 1773. ]\fary, born May 18th, 1776 ; mar- 
ried Dr. Thomas Peck. Abigail, born 1779 ; died in 
infancy. Jonathan R., born February 11th, 1782. 
Abigail, born April 18th, 1784. Lucretia, born May 
4th, 1780. 

Mr. Lemuel Sanford died March 12tli, 1803, at 
Banbury, in the performance of his duties as Judge 
of the County Court, leaving a most honorable rec- 
ord. He had tilled all the positions of honor and 
trust in his native tov,n, and during x\\e: Revolution 
had been a meml)er of the Committee of Supi)ly, the 
duties of which kept him absent in l)anl)ury and 
Fairfield nearly tlie whole j)eriod of tlie war. He 



HISTORY OF BEDDING. 210 

several times represented tlie town in the General 
Assembly, and also held the office of Associate Judge 
of the County Court. 

Lemuel Sanford, eldest son of Judge Sanf ord, after- 
being educated at President D wight's famous acad- 
emy on Greenfield Hill, returned to Redding, mar- 
ried Mary Heron, daughter of Squire Heron, and set- 
tled in the centre, on the farm now owned by Albert 
Gorhani. He was a man of much ability, and quite 
Ijrominent in town affairs. He had but two chil- 
dren, Mary and Abigail. 

Jonathan H., the second son, married Maria., 
daughter of Dr. Thomas Davies, October 17th, 1808. 
Their children were : Amanda, Maria, (who died in 
infancy), Lemuel, Jonathan E., and Thomas. Mr. 
Jonathan Sanford died August 20th, 1858. In 1808 
Mr. Sanford was appointed town-clerk and treasurer, 
and held those offices until his death, a period of 
half a century. He also filled the office of Judge of 
Probate for several years, besides representing his 
native town at different i^eriods in the State legisla- 
ture. 

Ezekiel, third son of Lemuel Sanford the first, 
married Abigail Starr November 21st, 1773, and set 
tied in Boston district, in the western part of the 
town. His children were : Mollie, baptized Decem- 
ber 18th, 1774. Eebecca, baptized April 24th, 1777. 
Ezekiel, ])aptized November 1st, 1778. Abigail, 
baptized March 19th, 1780 ; perhaps others. He is 
called captain in the old records. Some of his de- 
scendants are now living in Amenia, N. Y. 

Samuel Sanford the first, settled in Umpawaug. 
He is called captain in the records. His children 



-^0 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

were : Daniel, baptized April 22(1, 1 734. Seth, bap- 
tized August 23d, 1735. Mary, W.\yv\\ 19th, 1738. 
David, December 2d, 1739. Abigail, January 30th, 
1743. Samuel, May 5th, 1745. Sarah, May 10th, 
1747. Esther, April 16th, 1749. Ezra, March 25th, 
1751. Rachel, February 25th, 1753. Peter, May 
23d, 1750. Captain Samuel Sanford died November 
0th, 1768, aged sixty-two years. 

Daniel married Esther Hull April 18th, 1758. 
Cliildren : Eli, baptized August 16th, 1701. Chloe, 
.Fuly 5th, 1707 ; and others. Seth married Rebecca, 
daughter of Deacon Stej^hen Burr, April 25th, 1759. 
Her children, as named in Deacon ])urr\s will, 1770, 
were : Elias, Ebenezer, Joel, Elijah, Samuel, and 
Seth. Mary married Timothy Sanford, son of 
Joseph. Alugail married Joliii Ilawley December 
21st, 1702. Samuel, .Ir., married Sarah Olmsted 
July 23d, 1707. (Town record.) His children re- 
corded were : Uriah, bajitized February 14th, 1708. 
Thomas, December 17tli, 1709. Peter married Abi- 
gail Keeler June 1st, 1780. 

Ephraim Sanford tlie lirst, settled in Sanfordtown, 
and was a large land owner there, as is shoAvn by sev- 
eral deeds now in the possession of his descendants, 
some of which date back as far as 1733. His chil- 
dren by his wife Elizabeth Mix, according to the par- 
ish record, were : Rachel, baptized July 29th, 1733. 
Abigail, baptized May 18th, 1735. John, April 
29th, 1739. Oliver, Septend^er 20th, 1741. Lois, 
September 17th, 1743. Huldah, May 5th, 1748. 
Augustus, July 15th, 1753. Esther, April 27th, 
1755. His will, dated January 30th, 1701, mentions 
also Ephraim, Elizabeth, and Tabitha. Ephraim 



nisTonr of reddjno. ''^'-^i 

Sanford, according to the family tradition, was the, 
tirst man having a store of goods in Redding. Ilis 
goods were brought from Boston. Of his children, 
Abigail married Daniel Jackson October 2d, 1755. 

John married , and settled in the Foundry 

district, in Redding. His cliildre]i were : James, 
Stephen, Ephraim, John, Eli, Huldah, Lois, Betty, 
Elizabeth, and Annie. James, the eldest son, settled 
in the Foundry district, near his father. He was a 
teamster in the Revolutionary army, andAvas present 
at the execution of Jones and Smith on Gallows 
Hill. He married Sarah, daughter of John Beach, 
and grand -daughter of Rev. John Beach, the faithful 
missionary of the CUiui-ch of England. He was the 
father of Squire James Sanford. John, Jr., the 
fourth son of John Sanford, settled in Redding, and 
was the father of John \\\ Sanford, a well-known 
citizen. 

Oliver Sanford, son of Ephraim, married, in April, 
1767, Rachel, daughter of Deacon David Culey, of 
\^'eston. Their children were : Mary, baptized July 
31st, 1768. David, August 20tli, 1769. Ephraim, 
September 15th, 1771. Abigail, May 29th, 1774. 
Enoch A., April 28th, 1776. Levi, December 14th, 
1777. Oliver C, Abigail, Mary, Betsey, and Lor- 
raine. 



SMITH. 



Ann^a, daughter of Samuel Smith, of Redding, avjis 
baptized July 6th, 1740; and Seth Samuel, son ()f 
Samuel and Lydia Smith, September 28th, 1760. 
The latter was the first lawyer who located in Red- 
ding. He had an office in the centre, where also he 



•^22 HISTORY OF REDDINO. 

kept a select; school. He was town-clerk for a term 
of years, and wrote a most elegant liand, as will be 
remembered by those familiar with the records of 
his times. He also iilJed many other important 

positions in the town. He married Hnldah . 

Their children were : Zalmon, baptized February 
Hd, 1780 : and prolxibly others. 

STOWE. 

Robert Stow, the first of the name in Red- 
ding, settled in Lonetown, on the farm now owned 
by his grandson, Snmner Stowe, He married Anne 
Harrow January 26th, 1775. Their children were : 
Daniel, born July 4th, 1779. Abigail, born April 
nth, 1776 ; married Israel Adams. Sarah, born 
October 4th, 1777. Sarah, born August 11th, 1781. 
Sumner, born Septemlier 17th, 1783. Huldah, 
born February 6th, 1787 ; married Andrew An 
drus, of Banbury. Abraham, born March 4th, 1792. 
Polly, born September 20th, 1794 ; married Moses 
Parsons, of Newtown. Robert Stow died November 
oth, 1795. Daniel Stow married Lucy Hoyt, of 
Bethel, and settled in Redding, near his father. His 
children were : Robert, Almira, Sarah, Harriet, Lucy, 
Sumner, Marj^, and Polly. Al^raham settled in 
Bethel. Sumner died when a young man. 

Other settlers in the town at an early date, but 
Avho do not appear to have been permanent resi- 
dents, were : Daniel Bradley, Thomas Williams, 
Thomas and William Squire (of Fairheld), Ebenezer 
Ferry, George Cowden, Nathaniel Booth, Edmund 
Sherman, Jonathan Squire, John Whitlock, John 



HISTORY OF BEDDING. 



9-?:> 



Truesdale, Frederick Dikeman, and John Nott. The 
families of Byington, Ciiapman, Hamilton, Knapp, 
Osborne, Dennison, Bennett, St. John, Gilbert, 
Johnson, Abbott, Duncomb, Edmonds, Olmstead, 
Rider, Treadwell, and Todd figure in the later rec;- 
ords of the town. 



CHAPTER XY. 

BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Joel Barlow, the poet and statesman, was born 
in Redding March 24th, 1754. He received his 
early education first from the Rev. Mr. Bartlett, pas- 
t(U^ of the Congregational church in Redding, and 
second at Moor's preparatory school for boys, near 
Hanover, N. H. He entered Dartmouth College in 
1774, at the age of twenty, and shortly after removed 
to New Haven and was entered at Yale. His col- 
lege course was a highly creditable one in many re- 
s]3ects. During the college terms he was a faithful 
student, especially ivinning distinction for literary 
attainments ; and during the long summer vacations 
he Joined the Continental army as a volunteer, and 
aided in fighting the battles of his country. He grad- 
uated in 1778. From 1779 to 1783, he was chaplain 
of one of the Connecticut regiments in the Revolu- 
tionary army. Shortly after leaving the army in 
1783, lie married Miss Ruth Baldwin, daughter of 
Michael Baldwin, Esq., of New Haven, and in 1785 
settled as a lawyer in Hartford, Conn. In Hartford 
Mr. Barlow appears as lawyer, journalist (editor of 



224 lIISTOliY OF REDDINO. 

the American Mercury), bookseller, and poet. In 
the latter capacity he produced a revision of Dr. 
Watts' s " Imitation" of the Psalms, and also, in 1787, 
his famous poem, " The Vision of Columbus." In 
1789 he accepted from the Sciota Land Company the 
position of foreign agent for the sale of their lands 
in Europe, and went to England and later to France 
for this purpose ; l)ut shortly after his arrival the 
company made a disgraceful failure, and he was 
again thrown on his own resources. Fortunately, 
his literary reputation had made him quite a lion in 
the French capital, and he easily succeeded in ob- 
taining work on the French journals. Later he em- 
barked in some mercantile ventures, which proved 
successful and brought him a competence. He at 
first participated actively in the French Revolution, 
which broke out soon after his arrival in France, 
but becoming disgusted with the atrocities of the 
Jacobins, he withdrew and went over to England. 
In London, in 1791, he published his "Advice to the 
Privileged Orders," a work Avliich drew out a formal 
(Mdogium from Fox in the House of Commons. 
This was succeeded in 1792 by his "Conspiracy of 
Kings," a poem so bitterly hostile to royalty, that 
he found it j^rudent to leave England for France im- 
mediately on its publication. On his return to 
France, at this time, the privileges of French citi- 
zenship were conferred on him, only before accorded 
to but two Americans, ^A'ashington and Hamilton. 
In 1793 he accompanied Gregorie, former Bishop of 
Blois. and other dignitaries to .Savoy, and aided in 
organizing that country into a department of the 
Republic. While here he wrote his " Hasty Pud- 



niSTORY OF REDDING. 225 

ding," the mock-heroic, half -didactic poem, which 
has chiefly endeared him to his countrymen. In 
1795 President Washington appointed him consid 
to Algiers, with instructions to ratify the long pend- 
ing treaty with the Dey, and to liberate the Ameri- 
can prisoners there. Colonel Humphreys, American 
Minister to Portugal, an old friend of Mr. Barlow, 
himself came to Paris to urge him to accept ; and 
l^roving successful, the two friends left Paris on the 
12th of September, 1795, for Lisbon. From Lisbon 
Mr. Barlow proceeded to Algiers 'md Alicant, and 
after a year and a half of efi'ort, succeeded in ratify- 
ing the treaty and in liberating the captives. He 
then returned to France. During the succeeding 
eight years he resided in an elegant villa near Paris, 
formerly the property of the Count Clermont Ton- 
nere, enjoying the friendship of the chief men <^f the 
nation, as well as that of all Americans of eminence 
who visited the capital. 

But in 1805 the desire to once more revisit 
the land he had left seventeen years before, became 
too strong to be resisted longer, and disi3osing of his 
estates in France, he returned in July of this year 
to America. He was warmly received in his native 
land, and after an extensive tour, extending into the 
western country, he returned to Washington, where 
he built an elegant mansion called Kalorama, and 
which was widely famed in its day for its beauty 
and elegance, and as being the resort of all the famous 
men of the times. At Kalorama, Barlow gave his 
chief attention to the cultivation of the Muses, and 
to i^hilosophical studies. Here, in 1808, he finished 
his great i3oem, " The Columbiad," which was 
IG 



226 IIISTOJtiT OF REDDING. 

printed at Pliiladelr:)liia, and was one of the most 
elegant volumes ever issued from the American 
jjress. He also l>usied lumself with collecting 
materials for a general history of the United States. 
In 1811 President Madison offered him the respon- 
sible position of Minister to France, in the hoi)e that 
his reputation and his influence with the French 
Government might secure for us a treaty giving in- 
demnity for past spoliations on our commerce and 
.security from further depredations. Barlow ac- 
.cepted the position from motives of the purest pa- 
triotism, in the belief that his talents and position 
might be made useful to his country. He sailed 
from Annapcjlis in July, 1811, in the historic frigate 
'Constitution, Captain Hull, which had been ]3laced 
at his disposal by the Government. His negotia- 
tions with Napoleon, while on this mission, were 
conducted through the Duke de Bassano, Minister 
of Foreign Affairs, and covered a space of nearly 
a year and a half. Napoleon acknowledged tlie 
justice of the claims of the United States, and ex- 
pressed a willingness to ratify a treaty of indemnity ; 
but he was so absorbed in directing the campaign 
against Russia, and in his other operations on the 
European field, that it was very difficult to bring the 
matter to a satisfactory conclusion. 

At length, on the 25th of October, 1812, Mr. Bar- 
low received a letter from the Duke de Bassano, writ- 
ten at Wilna, Poland, saying that the emperor had 
deputed the business of the treaty to him, and that 
if Mr. Barlow would come to Wilna, he had no doubt 
but that the treaty miglit be speedily ratified. Bar- 
low, on receipt of the note, at once set out, and trav- 



HISTORY OF REDDING. ' 227 

elling niglit and day, reached Wilna a])oiit the first 
of December, only to find the vilhige filled with fugi- 
tives from Napoleon's retreating army, while the 
duke was out on the frontiers hurrying forward re- 
inforcements to cover the emjieror's retreat. Dis- 
appointed in his mission, he hastened to retrace 
his steps ; but at Zarniwica, an obscure village in 
Poland, he was seized with an acute attack of pneu- 
monia, the result of privations and exposure, whicli 
terminated his life December 26th, 1812. He v/as 
buried in the little village where he died, and a mar- 
ble pillar was erected by Mrs. Barlow to his mem- 
ory. No friendly pen has ever written the poet's 
biography, and his memory has pretty much faded 
from the minds of his countrymen ; but there were 
few men of his day more widely known, or who did 
deeds more worthy of grateful recognition by the 
American people. 

" Stephen Russell Mallory, second son of 
Charles Mallory, of Redding, Conn., was born in the 
West Indies in 1814, and came to the United States 
when but three months old. In 1819 he accom- 
panied his father to Florida, and was placed at an 
' old held school ' near Mobile, from whence he was 
removed to the academy at Nazareth, Pa., where 
he spent several years. He returned to Florida in 
1830, and established his residence at Key West, 
Avliere he embraced the profession of law. IVIr. Mai 
lory has filled many important trusts under the 
State and General Governments, and was collector 
of the customs and superintendent of the revenue 
at Key West, under Mr. Polk. In 1850 he was 



228 HISTORY OF REDDING. 

elected to the United States Senate for the term of 
six years." The above is from Grleason's " Pictorial 
Companion" for 1853. Mr. Mallory's subsequent 
career as Secretary of the Confederate Navy is 
familiar to the reader. 

Dudley San ford Gregory, INIayor of Jersey 
City, N. J., and prominently identified with the 
early history of that city, was a native of Redding. 

Major-Gexeral Darius Couch was born of Red- 
ding parents, in South- East, New York, July 25tli, 
1822. The following sketch of his career, taken 
largely from Cullum's History of the Officers and 
Graduates of the United States Military Academy, 
will l)e read with interest : 

'■ Darius N. Couch, born in NeAv York, appointed 
fnmi New York, cadet at United States Military 
Academy frcmi July 1st, 1842, to July 1st, 1846, Avhen 
ho was graduated and promoted in the army to Bre- 
vet Second Lieutenant 4th Artillery. Served in the 
war with Mexico in 1846-47-48, being engaged in the 
battle of BuenaYista, Mex., as Second Lieutenant in 
Ca.ptain Washington's Battery, Light Artillery, for 
which he was brevetted First Lieutenant for gallant 
and meritorious conduct. Participating in the oc- 
cupation of the Seminole country in 1852-3, he 
planned and executed at his own expense a scien- 
tific exjiedition into Central and Northern Mexico, 
the results of which were very creditable to his en- 
terjnise. He married, in 1854, a daughter of Hon. 
S. L. Crocker, of Taunton, Mass., and grand-daugh- 
ter of Isaiah Thomas, founder of the Antiquarian 
Society of Worcester, Mass., and author of the 
' History of Printing.' The next year he resigned 
from the arm v. At tlie ]ireakin2: out of the Rebel- 



IILSTOIiY OF REDDING. 229 

lion, being' settled in Taunton, Mass., lie raised the 
7th Reg. Mass. Vols., and proceeded to Washington 
in Jnly, 1861. Was made Brigadier-Cxeneral in 
August, and assigned to the command of a brigade 
in the defence of thnt city. In McClellan's Cam- 
paign on the Peninsula, General Couch commanded 
thelst Division, 4th Army Corps, holding the left 
of the line at the siege of Yorktown. At the battle 
of Fah^ Oaks, his brave Division held their ground 
for more than two hours against the combined at- 
tack of the Confederate troojis. AVitli part of his 
Division he reinforced Hooker in the hot action of 
Oak Grove, June 25th, 1862, and was in various 
skirmishes during the seven days until July 1st, on 
which morning General McClellan posted him on the 
main road leading to Richmond, where v/as fought 
the successful battle of Malvern Hill. 

"^ Being promoted to the rank of Major-General, 
July 4th, 1862, he joined Pope with his Division on 
the retreat from ISIanassas, in the Northern Virginia 
Campaign, October, 1862, in command of the 2d 
Army CorjDs, Campaign of the Ra]:)paliannock, At 
Fredericksburg December 12th, 13tli, 14th, and 
15th, it fell upon General Couch to assault Mary's 
Heights, in which desj)erate w^ork that brave, mag- 
niticent 2d Army Corps lost more than 4000 men. 
The loss of his Corps at the disastrous battle of 
Chancellorsville, where he was second in command, 
was very heavy. In November, 1864, he joined 
Thomas, who was besieged at Nashville, and was 
assigned by that cf)mmander to the command of an 
Army Corps. In the battle wdiich followed he com- 
manded a division, turned Hood's left, and cap- 
tured several pieces of artillery and many pris- 
oners. In Noi'tli Carolina, Mkrch, April, and May, 
aiding Sherman in closing the war. Resigned in 
June, 1865, the Great Rebellion having been crushed 
out. 

' ' The General has for several years resided at 



230 JIISTORT OF REDDING. 

Norwalk, Conn., having been Quartermaster-Gene- 
ral at Hartford during the years 1877-78." 

Hon. GtIDEON" H. Hollister, of Litchfield, is a, de- 
scendant of two of our Kedding families, as will be 
seen by reference to the notes on the Gray and Jack- 
son families. He was born December 14th, 1818, in 
Washington, Conn., and graduated at Yale College 
in 1840. Studied law in Litchfield, and was admitted 
to the bar in Ax)ril, 1842. He practised law in Litch- 
field until 1859, when he opened an office in New 
York. He went as United States Charge d' Affaires 
to Hayti when that country was under the adminis- 
tration of Salnave. In 1855 he published a History 
of Connecticut in two volumes, of which two edi- 
tions, of two thousand copies each, have been ex- 
hausted. He is the author of three historical dra- 
mas, one of them bearing the title of " Thomas a 
Becket." He has also written a legal treatise on 
the Law of Eminent Domain. Mr. Hollister is now 
engaged in writing a history of Hayti. 

Attorney- General Bates, of Missouri, was of Red- 
ding ancestry. 

Judge Strong, of the United States Supreme Court, 
spent his childhood and youth in Redding, and made 
liis maiden plea here before a justice court. 

Mrs. Dora Goodale, a writer for Scribnef s^ is a 
native of Redding, being a descendant of Colonel 
John Read, one of the earliest settlers. She is the 
mother of Elaine and Dora Goodale, the child 23oets, 
whose charming verses have been so warmly wel- 
C3med by the American public. 

In the several professions Redding has been well 



HI8T0RT OF REDDING. 231 

represented. " Dr. Asahel Fitch, the first physician 
who settled in the town, is remembered in Fairfield 
County as a worthy man, and one of its most respect- 
able practitioners of medicine. He was amon^^ the 
principal pioneers in the formation of the Connty So- 
ciety, bnt died soon after its organization. His death 
occurred in 1792, or about that period. I understand 
that he was the grandfather of Professor Knight, of 
Yale College. 

Among the i^hysicians of Fairfield County who 
enjoyed a long and successful practice was Dr. 
Thomas Davies, of Redding. He removed to Redding 
in 1703, on the decease of Dr. Fitch, and there con- 
tinued in the duties of his profession until his death, 
which occurred in 1831. Dr. Daveis possessed the 
reputation of being among the first of the jihysicians 
of the county who assumed regularly obstetrical 
duties, and so successful were his labors, that he be- 
came particularly eminent in that department. 

The doctor was once summoned as an imioortant 
wtiness to appear before the Court in Fairfield, and 
not appearing, the sheilfl" was sent to compel his at- 
tendance. Being absent, and learning on his return 
that the ofiicer was awaiting at a public-house in the 
vicinity, he without notice to the official rode to 
Fairfield, and ajipeared before the Court. On the 
question occurring with the Court regarding the 
costs attending the capias^ he requested one or two 
of his legal friends to excuse the d^^linquency. The 
judge decided, notwithstanding, that the law must b3 
observed and that the doctor must bear the expenses. 
Dr. D. then requested a hearing in his own behalf, 
which being granted, remarked : " May it please the 



232 HISTORT OF REDDING. 

Court : I am a good citizen of the State, and since I 
was sunmioned to attend this Court I have intro- 
duced three otlier good citizens into it." 

The Ccnirt replied, that for so good a plea, he 
would leave the parties to pay the expenses. 

Rev. Thomas F. Davies, of Philadelpliia, is the 
only male descendant of Dr. Davies."^ 

Among the later practitioners of the town, Dr. 
Charles Gorham was very widely known and re- 
spected. He was the son of Meeker Clorham and 
Elizabeth Hubbell, of Greenfield Hill, in the town of 
Fauheld. He began the study of medicine with Dr. 
Jehiel Williams, of New Milf ord, and afterward pur- 
sued his studies at the College of Physicians and Sur- 
geons in New York. He settled in Redding in 1816, 
at the age of twenty-one years, and x)ractised as a 
physician and surgeon in Fab'field County forty- 
two years. He mariied Mary, daughter of AVilliam 
King Comstock, of Danbury. Dr. Gorham is de- 
scribed as a man of more than ordinary strength of 
character, with a well-balanced mind and sound 
judgment. He was fond of scientiric investigations, 
and was remarkable for close observation and power 
of analysis. He died at his residence in Redding 
Centre, Sex)teniber 15 th, 1859. 

Among clergymen may be enumerated the follow- 
ing : Rev. Justus Hull, Rev. Lemuel Hull ; Rev. 
Thomas F. Davies, of Philadelpliia ; Rev. William 
T. Hill, Presiding Elder of New Haven District ; 
Rev. Aaron K. Sanford, Presiding Elder of Pough- 



■" From an Address before the Connecticut Medical Convention, in 
1853, bv Kutiis Biakemnn, AI.D. 



IIISTOltT OF REDDING. 233 

keepsie District, NeAv York Conference ; Rev. Aaron 
S. Hill, of New Haven ; Rev. Morris Hill, of New 
Haven ; Rev. ]\Ioses Hill, of Norwalk ; Rev. Hawley 
Sanford, of Iowa ; Rev. Morris Sanford, of Iowa ; 
Rev, Piatt Treadwell ; Rev. Albert Miller, of loAva ; 
Rev. Leroy Stowe, of Milford, Conn. ; and Rev. A. 
B. Sanford, of Brooklyn, N. Y. 

The following State Senators have been natives or 
citizens of Redding : Thomas B. Fanton, elected in 
1841 ; Lemuel Sanford, 1847 ; Cortez Merchant, 
1855 ; Francis A, Sanford, 1865 ; James Sanford, 
1870 ; Jonathan R. Sanford, 1877. 

Thomas Sanford, former High Sheriff of the 
county, and at one time nominee of the Democratic 
party for Comptroller of the State ; Henry Sanford, 
of New A^ork, Sujperintendent of Adams Express 
Company ; Aaron Sanford, of Newtown, present 
High Sheriff of Fairfield County ; and Albert Hill, 
City Engineer of New Haven, are natives of Red- 
ding. 



APPENDIX T. 



The following recollections of those avIio attended church 
at the old Congregational meeting-house, before it was 
pulled down in 183G to make room for the present edifice, 
have been kindly furnished by Thomas Sanford, Esq. They 
will be read with interest, as relating to a later jieriod of 
the town's history than that covered by the preceding 
chapters. 

Jesse Lacy, wife, son, and daughter, resided in the north- 
east jjart of the town of Easton, and had to go about five 
miles to meeting. The son. Deacon Rowland B. Lacy, now 
resides in Bridgeport. 

Eli Lacy, wife, and daughter, from the same neighbor- 
hood. 

Mrs. Ichabod Gilbert resided about two miles north- 
east of Redding Ridge. She was the grandmother of the 
Gilbert Brothers, of Bethel. 

Deacon Lemuel Hawley, and niece, Miss Sarah M. Dut- 
ton, who afterward became the wife of Rev. Thomas Dut- 
ton. 

Daniel Betes, wife, and two daughters. 

Michael Jennings, wife, and daughter, Eliza, who be- 
came the wife of Mr. Thatcher, of Hartford. 

Samuel S. Osborn and wife. 

Josej)h Hawley and wife. 

Jedediah R. Hawley and wife. 

Mrs. Abbott, the mother of the present Deacon T. M. 
Abbott, who was married about this time, and, together 



APPENDIX I. 235 

Avitli his wife, were, and have been constant attendants at 
meeting. 

Mr. and Mrs, Daniel A. Frost, and son, Ezra M. Frost, 
who now resides in Watertown, Ct. 

Rev. Thomas F. Davies bnilt the honse just north of 
the Town Honse, and with his family attended chnrch hero 
till 1831, when he left to take charge of the Congrega- 
tional chnrch at Green's Farms. 

Charles Wilson and famil3^ 

Leman Canfield and family. 

Zalinon Read, an officer in the Revolntionary War, and 
family. 

Deacon Samnel Read and family. 

Henry Read and family. 

Widow Betty Adams. 

Calvin Jenkins and wife. He was a drummer in the 
Revolntionary army. 

Mrs. Harry Lines and children. 

Abraham Parsons, a soldier of Revolution, wife, and 
danghtcr. 

Timothy Parsons and children. 

The Avidow of Doctor Thomas Davies. 

Deacon Lemnel Sanford and wife. 

Widow Hnldah Marvin and children. 

Deacon Charles D. Smith, of this place, married the 
only daughter of AVidow Marvin for his first wife. 

Eli Read and wife. 

Rev. Jonathan Bartlett and family, 

Samnel J. Collins, wife, and two daughters. His 
youngest daughter is the wife of our present physician, 
Dr, Wakeman. 

Jared Olmstead, a soldier in the War of 1812, and 
family. 

Colonel Aaron Burr and family. 

Jonathan R. Sanford and faniilv. 



236 APPENDIX I. 

Mrs. Benjamin Couch. 

Mrs. John Goodyear and Jane Tillow- 

Colonel Asahel Salmon, a soldier of the Revolution, and 
family. Colonel Salmon led the singing for several years. 

Mrs. Daniel Sherv/ood. 

Daniel Meeker's family. 

Captain Lemuel Adams and family. 

John JNIeeker and wife. lie played tlie bass viol for 
years. 

Azariali Meeker and wife, the grandfatlier of tlie pres- 
ent Azariah. 

Harry Meeker and family. 

Moses Meeker and family. 

Captain John Gray and wife. 

Joel Gray, wife, and daughter. 

Mrs. Daniel Benedict and two daughters. 

Captain John Davis, a soldier of Revolution, and two 
daughters. 

Benjamin Meeker and wife. 

Eli Starr Boughton, father of Benjamin S. Bougliton, 
and family. 

Samuel Meeker and wife. 

George B. Phillips and family. 

Cortez Merchant and family. 

Mrs. Samuel S. Gray and children. 

Mrs. Holmes. 

Edward Couch, wife, and two boys. Tlie hoys now 
reside in Ridgefield — Edward J. and Simon. 

Peter S. Coley and wife. 

Alfred Gregory, wife, and children. 

Eli Sanford, wnfe, and son, Hinman. 

Daniel Barlow and wife. 

Burr Meeker, a soldier in the "War of 1812, and family ; 
and Miss Coley, who became the wife of Dr. L. N. 
Beardslev, of Milford, Ct. 



APPENDIX I. 237 

Joel Barlow and family. 

Henry and Joseph H. Meeker. 

Ebenezer Sanford and Stephen Sanford, 

Widow Esther Sanford and family, 

Joshua Chapman and family. 

David Chapman and family. 

Daniel Chapman, 2d, and wife. 

Daniel Chapman, grandfather of Daniel C. Eider, who 
with his family have been constant atendants at church. 

Edward Merchant and wife. 

Orson Merchant and family, 

Joel Merchant, a soldier of the Revoluticn, wife, and sou, 

George Merchant and daughter, Eliza. 

Zalmon Sanford and niece, Emily, afterward Mrs. 
Lonson Colcy of Westport. 

Captain Daniel Sanford and two sous — Marvin C, and 
Moses B. 

Aaron Perry, Avife, and two sons — Andrew S. and David. 

John Couch and Avife, and Yonge Lobdell, who after- 
Avard Avas a missionary in Asia. Also for a time a bo}', 
Avho is now Eca'. Augustus Jackson, of AVashington, D. C. 

Beach "Whitehead and family. 

John n. Lee and Avife, and Jane SherAvood. 

Xoah II. Lindley and family, and his wife's mother. 
Mrs, Win ton. 

Isaac Coley and daughter, Betsey, 

Lemuel Burr, grandfather of Lemuel B, Benedict. 

Samuel Mallory 

Eli Mallory, Avife, and son. Frederick. 

Aaron B. Hull. 

Alfred Rockwell, wife, and son, 

Thurston Lee and family. 

Noah Lee and Avifo. 

Azariah Coley's family. 

The Darling family. 

Widow Billv Comstock and her children. 



238 APPENDIX I. 

Mrs. Cornelia Coley, and her diildrcn, who are now 
Mrs. George A. Hickok, of Bethel, and JMrs, ]\[atthev\' 
Starr, of Nor walk. 

Alonzo Byington and Avifo. 

Joseph B. Goodsell and family, and J. B. Cloodsoll, Jr. 

Burr Bennett and wife. 

Samuel B. Goodsell and Avife. 

Aaron Byington and Avife, Jane Darling, and William 
B, Skillenger. 

Old Mr. Billy Morehouse. 

Walker Bates and family. Mr. Bates at this time 
taught a select hoarding and day school, and his scholars 
attended church. 

Elias Bates and Avife. 

Bradley Hill and family. 

Eliza A. Hull, sister, aud hrother John A. 

Noah M. Lee and Avife. 

Stephen Jackson. 

Zalmon B. Banks, Avife, and family. 

Deacon Joel Foster and family. 

Mrs. Moses Dimon. 

Charles LcAA'is (colored). 

Mrs. Nathan Lee. 

Captain Stephen Gray and Avife. 

Colonel Joseph AV. Gorham and family. 

Samuel Hull, Avifc, and granddaughter. 

John Fairchild and family. 

Ephraim Sanford and Avife. 

Enoch A. Sanford and family. 

Bradley Sanford and wife. 

Da\-id Sanford, Avife, and son, George A. 

Daniel Sanford and wife. 

Joel, Ezra, and Irad Carter came to Redding about this 
time and attended church here. 

Eli Gilbert, Milo Lee, and the Messrs. Sheltons, hatters, 
attended church. 



APPENDIX II. 



REPRESENTATIVES TO TliE LEGISLATURE. 



October, 17G7. CoL John Read. 

May, 17G8. None. 

October, 17G8. Capt. Stephen Mead. 

May, 1769. Col. John Read, Capt. Henry Lyon. 

October, 17G9. Capt. Henry Lyon. 

May, 1770. Capt. Stephen Mead, Mr. Lemuel Sanford. 

October, 1770. Col. John Read, Mr. Lemuel Sanford. 

May, 1771. Col. John Read, Mr. Lemuel Sanford. 

October, 1771. Mr. llezekiah Sanford. 

May. 1772. Col. John Read, Mr. llezekiah Sanford. 

October, 1772. Mr. Hezekiah Sanford. 

Mav, 1773. Col. John Read, Mr. Hezekiah Sanford. 

October, 1773. Mr. Lemuel Sanford, Mr. James Rogers. 

May, 1774. Mr. William Hawley, Mr. Peter Fairchild. 

October, 1774. Mr. Lemuel Sanford, Mr. William Hawley. 

Mav, 1775. Mr. William Hawley. 

October, 1775. Mr. Lemuel Sanford, Mr. William Hawley. 

May, 1776. Mr. Hezekiah Sanford, Mr. Seth Sanford. 

October, 1776. Mr. Samuel Sanford, Jr., Mr. Stephen 
Betts, Jr. 

May, 1777. Mr. Lemuel Sanford, :Mr. Daniel Sanford. 

October, 1777. None attended. 

January, 1778. Mr. Seth Sanford. 

February, 1778. Mr. Lemuel Sanford. 



240 APPENDIX II. 

May, 1778. Mr. Lemuel Sanford, Mr. William Heron. 

October, 1778. Mr. Lemuel Sanford. 

Mav, 1779. Mr. Seth Sanford. 

October, 1779. Mr. William Hawley, Mr. William Heron. 

May, 1780. Mr. William Hawlev, Mr. William Heron. 

October, 1780. Mr. Lemuel Sanford, Mr. Seth Sanford. 

May, 1781. Unrecorded. 

October, 1781. Capt. William Hawley. 

May, 1782. Mr. Stephen Betts. 

October, 1782. Mr. Lemuel Sanford, Mr. Stephen Betts. 

May, 1783. Mr. Stephen Betts, Mr. Thaddens Benedict. 

October, 1783. Mr. Lemuel Sanford, Mr. Stephen Betts. 

May, 1784 Mr. Hezekiah Sanford, Mr. Thaddeus Benedict. 

October, 1784. Mr. Lemuel Sanford, Mr. William Heron. 

May, 1785. Mr. Hezekiah Sanford, Mr. William Heron. 

October, 1785. Mr. Hezekiah Sanford, Mr. William Heron. 

May, 1786. Mr. William Hawley. 

October, 178G. Mr. Hezekiah Sanford, Mr. William Heron. 

May, 1787. Mr. Lemuel Sanford. Mr. William Heron. 

October, 1787. Mr. William Heron. 

May, 1788. Mr. Lemuel Sanford, Mr. William Heron. 

October, 178^. Mr. Lemuel Sanford, Mr. William Huron. 

May, 1789. Mr. William Heron. 

October, 1789. Mr. Lemuel Sanford, Mr. William Heron. 

May, 1790. Mr. Thaddeus Benedict, Mr. William Heron. 

October, 1790. Mr. Thaddeus Benedict, Mr. Andrew L. 

Hill. 
May, 1791. Mr. Hezekiah Sanford, Mr. Andrew L. Hill. 
October, 1791. Mr. Hezekiah Sanford, Mr. Andrew L. 

Hill 
May, 1792. Mr. Hezekiah Sanford, Mr. Andrew L. Hill. 
October, 1792. Mr. Hezekiah Sanford, Mr. Aaron Barlow. 
May, 1793. Mr. Hezekiah Sanford, Mr. Andrew L. Hill. 
October, 1793. Mr. Hezekiah Sanford, Mr. Simeon 

]\[unffer. 



APPENDIX 11. 241 

May, 1794. Mr. Thaildeus Benedict, Mr. Aaron Barlow, 

October, 1794. Mr. Thaddeus Benedict, Mr. Aaron Bar- 
low. 

May, 1795. Mr. Thaddeus Benedict, Mr. Aaron Barlow. 

October, 1795. Mr. William Heron, Mr. Andrew L. Hill. 

May, 1790. Mr. William Heron, ]\Ir. James Rogers. 

October, 1796. Mr. William Heron, Mr. James Rogers. 

May, 1797. Mr. Simeon Munger, Mr. Setli Samuel Smith. 

October, 1797. Mr. Simeon Munger, Mr. Setli Samuel 
Smith. 

May, 1798. Mr. Simeon Monger, Mr. Setli Samuel Smitli. 

May, 1799. Mr. Simeon Munger, Mr. Stephen Jackson. 

October, 1799. Mr, Simeon Munger, Mr. Stephen Jack- 
son. 

May, 1800. Mr. Simeon Munger, Mr. Setli Samuel Smith. 

October, 1800. Mr. Andrew L. Hill, Mr, Stephen Jack- 
sou. 

May, 1801. Mr. Andrew L. Hill, Mr. Stephen Jackson. 

October, 1801. Mr. Simeon Munger, Mr. Peter Sanford. 

May, 1802. Mr. S. Samuel Smith, Mr, Andrew L, Hill. 

October, 1802. Mr. Aaron Sanford, Mr. Joshua King. 

May, 1803. Mr. Seth S. Smith, Mr. Andrew L. Hill. 

October, 1803. Mr. Seth S. Smith, Mr. Andrew L. Hill. 

May, 1804. Mr. Seth S. Smith. 

October, 1804.- Mr. Simeon Munger, Mr. Peter Sanford. 

May, 1805. Setli Samuel Smith, Andrew L. Hill. 

October, 1805. Simeon Munger, Peter Sanford, 

May, 1806. Andrew L. Hill, Simeon Munger. 

October, 1806. Andrew L. Hill, Simeon Munger. 

May, 1807. Andrew L. Hill, Simeon Munger. 

October, 1807. Seth Samuel Smith, Lemuel Sanford. 

May, 1808. Andrew L. Hill, Lemuel Sanford. 

October, 1808. Lemuel Sanford, Simeon Munger. 

May, 1809. Andrew L. Hill, Lemuel Sanford. 

October, 1809. xVndrew L. Hill, Lemuel Sanford. 
17 



-4g APPENDIX II. 

Hay/ 1810. Andrew L. Hill, Lemuel fe^xiiford. 
October, 1810. Andrew L. liill, Lemuel 8;iuford. 
May, 1811. Samuel Whiting, Peter Sanford. 
October, 1811. Andrew L. Hill, Samuel Whiting. 
May, 1813. Andrew L. Hill, Lemuel Sanford. 
October, 1812. Andrew L. Hill, Lemuel Sanford. 
May, 1813. Lemuel Sanford, Samuel Whiting. 
October, 1813. Lemuel Sanford, Samuel Whiting. 
May, 1814. Lemuel Sanford, Samuel Wdiitiug. 
October, 1814. John Meeker, Lemuel Sanford. 
May, 1815. Jonathan R. Sanford, Samuel Whiting. 
October, 1815. Simeon Munger, llezekiah Read, Jr. 
May, 181G. Isaac Beach, Hozekiah Read, Jr. 
October, 1810. Samuel Whiting, Hezekiah Read, Jr. 
May, 1817. Isaac Beach, Benjamin Meeker. 
October, 1817. Jonathan Meeker, John R. Hill. 
May, 1818. Billy Comstock, Aaron Sanford, Jr. 
October, 1818. William Sanford, John Meeker. 
May, 1810. Billy Comstock, Hezekiah Read, Jr. 
1820. Isaac Coley, Jonathan R. Sanford. 
1831. Daniel Barlow, Seth Wheeler. 
1833. Billy Comstock, John R. Hill. 

1833. John R. Hill, Aaron Sanford, Jr. 

1834. Lphraim Sanford, Rowland Fantou. 

1835. Benjamin Meeker, William Sanford. - 
183G. Joel Merchant, Michael Jennings. 
1827. Thomas B. Fan ton, Gershom Sherwood. 

1838. John M. Heron, William Sanford. 

1839. Aaron Sanford, Daniel Barlow. 
18;>0. Gershom Sherwood, Gurdon Bar tram. 
183L Jonathan R. Sanford, Jared Olmstead. 
1833. Ralph Sanford, AValker Bates. 

1833. Jacob Wanzer, Thaddeus B. Read. 

1834. Thomas B. Fanton, Bradley Hill. 

1835. T. B. Fanton, Walker Bates. 



APPENDIX li. 

1S3C. Kulpli Sanfortl, Burr Meeker. 

18c>7. Timothy Parsons, Jesse Banks. 

1838. Thomas B. Fanton, Aaron Perry. 

1839. Tliomas B. Fanton, Benjamin ^Meeker. 

1840. Walker Bates, David S. Duncomb. 

1841. Thaddens M. Abhott, Morris Hill. 

1842. Hezekiah Davis, John W. Sanford. 

1843. Edward Starr, Jr., Barney Bartram. 

1844. Charles Beach, Charles D. Smith. 

1845. Peter S. Coley, Aaron E. Bartram. 

1846. James Sanford, Harry Meeker. 

1847. Bradley Hill, Samnel S. Osborn. 

1848. Burr Bennett, Floyd Tucker. 

1849. Daniel C. Rider, Henry Couch. 

1850. Matthew Gregory, Rufus Mead. 

1851. Milo Lee, Frederick 1). Dimon. 

1852. Aaron Burr, Aaron B. Hull. 

1853. Ebenezcr Wilson, Turney Sanford. 

1854. Jonathan R. Sanford, Walker Bates. 

1855. Cortez Merchant, Gurdon B. Lee. 
1S5G. Thomas Sanford, Milo Lee. 

1857. John 0. St. John, David B. Sanford. 

1858. James Sanford, Benjamin S. Boughton. 

1859. John Edmond, Matthew Gregory. 
18G0. Jacob Shaw, Daniel S. Sanford. 

18G1. Edmund T. Dudley, Matthew Gregory. 

1802. Walker Bates, George Osborn. 

1803. John Edmond, David H. Mead. 
1864. Walker Bates, Aaron Treadwell. 
1805. Thomas B. Fanton, William Hill. 
1800. Charles Osborne, Edward P. Shaw. 
1807. David S. Johnson, William B. Mill. 
1868. Francis A. Sanford, B. S. Boughton. 
1809. Aaron II. Davis, William II. Hill. 
1870. John S. Sanford, J. R. Sanford. 



243 



244 



APPENDIX II. 



1871. E. F. Foster, Luzon Jelliff. 

1872. Henry S. Osborn, Arthur B. Ilill. 

1873. Stebbins Baxter, Moses Ilill. 

1874. J. R. Sanford, Edward P. Sliaw. 

1875. Turnev Sanford, Henry Burr Piatt. 

1876. James"^ Sanford, Orrin Piatt. 

1877. Thomas Sanford, George F. Banks. 

1878. Azariah E. Meeker, Daniel Sanford. 

1879. Harvey B. Rumscy, George Coley. 

1880. David S. Bartram, Azariah Meeker. 

Redding was made a Probate District in 1839. The 
Judges of Probate have been : Thomas B. Fanton, Jona- 
than R. Sanford, Thaddeus M. Abbott, and Lemuel San- 
ford, the latter being the present incumbent. 



APPENDIX III. 



PAY-ROLL OF CAPT. AVILLIAM JUDD S COMPANY, 
VVYLLY's llEGIMEXT. 

ENCAMPED AT READING, 1778-9. 



COL. 



Asa Chapman, Sergt. 
Homer Phelps. 
Joel Smith, Sergt. 
T^'liomas Peck. 
Elijah Porter. 
William Lee, lifer. 
Eleazer Porter. 
D. Adams. 
Timothy Keeler. 
Levi Hamlin. 
Elisha Holsten. 
Stephen Chapman. 
John Oakley. 



Comr. Dunham, Jr, 
Ebenezer Park. 
Samuel Hotchkiss. 
Ephraim Taylor. 
Amos Barns. 

Shaw. 

Joseph Hill. 
BenJ. Potts. 
David Heydon. 
Ebenr. Park. 
Abel Scipio. 
Thomas Swift. 
Luther Atkins. 



APPENDIX IV. 



NAMES BOKNE ON" THE LIST OF THE SOCIETY OF CINCIN- 
NATI OF CONNECTICUT. 



Timothy Ailing, Capt. 
Eobert Ailing, Lt. 
Stephen Ailing, Lt. 
Thomas Andrews, Lt. 
Roger Alden, Capt. 
Simeon Avery, Lt. 
Ezekiel P. Belden, Capt. 
Simeon Belden, Lt. 
Caleb Bull, Capt. 
Aaron Bull, Lt. 
John H. Buell, Capt. 
Phillip B. Bradley, Col. 
])aniel Bradley, Lt. 
Nathan Beers, Lt. 
Nathaniel Bishop, Lt. 
James Bennet, Lt. 
Aaron Benjamin, Lt. 
Abm. Baldwin, Chaplain 
David Bushnell, Capt. 
Isaac Munson, Surg, mate 
William Beaumont, Lt. 
Stephen Billings, Capt. 
John Barnard, Capt. 
David Beach, Lt. 



John Ball, Lt. 
Ebenr. Beardsley, surgeon, 
Jona Burnall, D. C. M. G. 
Gurdon Bill, marines. 
Zebulon Butler, Col. 
Edward Bulkley, Capt. 
Stephen Betts, Capt. 
Moses Cleaveland, Capt. 
John. Cleaveland, En. 
Elijah Chapman, Capt. 
Albert Chapman, Major. 
Lemuel CliJl, Capt. 
Willis Cliff, Major. 
Solomon Cowles, Com. 
(reorge Cotton, En. 
Samuel Comstock, Capt. 
William Colfax, Capt. 
Giles Curtis, Lt. 
Joseph Clark, En. 
Eliph. Chamberlain, Capt. 
Noah Coleman, Surgeon. 
Thomas Converse, Capt. 
Jesse Cook, Capt. 
Abner Cole, En. 



240 



APPENDIX IV 



John Davenport, Major. 

James Davenport, Com. 

Pownall Denning, Lt. 

Henry Daggett, Lt. 

Samuel Deforest, Lt. 

Richard Doughiss, Capt. 

James Dole, Lt. Horse. 

John Dasher, Capt. 

Martin Denslow. 

David Dorrence, Capt. 

John Ellis, Chaplain. 

Edward Eels, Capt. 

Charles Fanning, Lt. 

Ebenezer Frothingham, Lt. 

Thomas Farmer, Lt. 

Silas Cloodell, Lt. 

William Glenny, Lt. 

Ozias Goodrich, En. 
Samuel Gil)bs, Lt. 
Xehemiah Gorham, Lt. 
Eben. Gray, Lt.-Col. 

Matthias Gregory. 
Thos. Grosvenor, Lt.-Col. 
Jesse Grant, Capt. 
Jed. Huntington, B.-Gen. 
Eben. Huntington, Lt.-Col. 
Hezeliiah Hubbard, Com. 
Elijah Hubbard, Com. 
N'eh. Hubbard, Com. 
William Higgins, Lt. 
Jos. Higgins, Surg. mate. 
Tallmadge Hall, Lt. 
Philemon Hall, Lt. 
Amos Hall, Lt. 
Jona. Hart, Capt. 



John Ilart, En. 
Chas. Hopkins, Lt. 
David Humphreys, A. D. C. 
Timothy Hosmer, Surgeon. 
Elijah Humphreys, Capt. 
Prentice Hosmer, Lt. 
Elisha Hopkins, Capt. 
John Hobart, Lt. , 
Samuel Hart, Lt. 
Jaques Harman, En. 
Gideon Hawley, Lt. Horse. 
Jeronymus Hogeland, Capt. 
Salmon Hubbell, Lt, 
Asahel Hodges, Capt. 
Peleg Heath, Lt. 
Hez. Holdridge, Lt.-Col. 
William Henshaw, Lt. 
James Hyde, Lt. 
Roger Hooker, Lt. 
Jona. Johnson, Lt.-Col. 
David Judson, Capt. 
William Judd, Capt. 
Elijah Jones, Lt. Horse. 
Thaddeus Keeler, Lt. 
Isaac Keeler, Lt. 
Aaron Keeler, En. 
Ephraim Kimberly, Capt. 
Jacoh Kingsbury, En. 
Joshua Knapp, En. 
Joshua King, Lt. Horse. 
Amasa Keyes, Capt. 
Eli Leavensworth, Major. 
Elihu Lyman, En. 
William Leverett, Lt. 
Sibbens Loomis, Lt, 



APPENDIX IV. 



•341 



>Setli Lewis, Com. 
James Lord, Lt. 
Noah Lee, Capt. 
Asa Lyon, Lt. 
William Lyon, Lt. 
Return Meigs, Col. 
John Meigs,- Lt. 
William Monson, Capt. 
Theophilus Monson, Capt. 
Charles Miller, Lt. 
John Mansfield, Lt. 
John Mix, Lt. 
James Morris, Capt. 
Eneas Monson, Snr mate. 
Jasper Meade, Lt. 
Samuel Mills, Lt. 
John Miles, Lt. 
Timothy Matthew, Surgeon. 
John Noyes, Surgeon. 
William Nichols, Lt. 
Simeon Newell. 
James Olmsted, Lt. 
Sam. H. Parsons, Maj.-Gen. 
Stephen Potter, Capt. 
Solomon Pinto, En. 
AVilliam Pike, Lt. Horse. 
Ralph Pomroy, Lt. 
Seth Phelps, Capt. 
Abner Prior, Maj. 
Reuben Pride, Lt. 
David Phipps, Capt. 
Jonas Prentice, Capt. 
R. Peck. 

Charles Pond, Capt. 
Daniel Putnam, D. C. 



Ebenezer Perkins, Ca])t. 
Ilezekiah Roberts, Capt. 
Jedediah Rogers, Lt. , 
Joseph Rogers, Ens. 
Peter Robinson, Capt. 
Elias Robinson, Lt. 
Cornelius Russ3ll, Lt, 
John Rose, Surgeon. 
John Riley, Capt. 
Aaron Rhea, Lt. Horse. 
Samuel Richards, Lt. 
Nehemiah Rice, Capt. 
Josiali Root, Sur. mate. 
Josiah Starr, Col. 
David Starr, Capt. 
Thomas Starr, Lt. 
jTleorge Starr. 
David Smith, Maj. 
Ezra Smith, Lt. 
Joel Smith, En. 
Isaac Sherman, Lt. -Col. 
John Sherman, Lt. 
Thos. Y. Seymour, Capt. 
Horace Seymour, Lt. Horse. 
Aaron Seymour, Capt. 
Benjamin Sutlitl", Lt. 
Elias Stillwell, Capt. 
Reuben Sanderson, Lt. 
Heman Swift, Col. 
John Simpson, Surgeon. 
Ezra Selden, Capt. 
William Stanton, Capt. 
John Sumner, Lt.-Col. 
Thomas Skinner, Surgeon. 
Abijah Savage, Capt. 



iZ-^/-^? 




248 



APPENDIX IV. 



Simon Thatcher, Capt. 
David Strong, Capt. 
David F. Sill, Lt.-Col. 
Josei)h Shaler, Lt. 
Elisha Sheldon, Lt.-Col. 
Jon. Trumbnll, Lt.-Col. 
John Trumbnll, Col. 
Ebenezer Farmer, Lt. 
Tryal Farmer, Lt. 
Timothy Taylor, Capt. 
Josiah Tiffany, Lt. 
Henry Ten Eycke, Caj)t. 
John Trowbridge, Lt. 
Isaiah Thompson, Capt. 
John R. Troop, Lt. 
Benjamin Tallmadge. ]\[aj. 
Saniuel Wyllys, Col. 
John P. Wyllys, Maj. 
Jeremiah Wadsworth, Col. 
Elijah Wadsworth, Capt. 
Samuel B. AVebb, i>J. 



John Webb, Capt. 
V/illiam Watmaly, Engr. 
Ebenezer AYales, Lt. 
John White, Lt. 
Joseph A. Wright, Maj. 
Roger Wells, Capt. 
Joshua Whitney, .Lt. 
Joseph Walker, Capt. 
Peter Woodward, Lt. 
Theodore Woodbridge, Maj. 
Thaddeus Weed, Capt. 
John P. Watrous, Surgeon. 
Ames Walbridge, Maj. 
Samuel W. Williams, Capt. 
Erastus Wolcott, Capt. 
Fred. Whiting, Lt. Horse. 
Nathan F. AAHiiting, Lt. 
Jeffery Whiting, Capt. 
Robert Warner, Maj. 
Joseph Wilcox, Lt. 



-D 



/ 



